1 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


FRANK  R.  STOCKTON 


VOLUME  X 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 


THE  NOVELS  AND  STOKIES  OF 
FRANK  R.  STOCKTON 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1900 


cA  te^o-tfj  zsvtt  -wv&yt^-siXA  K' 
."\  .5\ 

OF  CALIFOKNUk 


life-preserver  was  dropped  to  the  swimmer. 
From  a  drawing  by  R.  F.  ZQGBAUM. 


THE  NOVELS  AND  STOEIES  OF 
FRANK  R.  STOCKTON 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1900 


OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


Copyright,  1896,  1900,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNBB'S  SONS 


THE  DEVINNE  PRESS. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

i  ALONE  WITH  HER  WEALTH      ...  3 

ii  WILLY  CROUP  DOESN'T  KNOW        .        .  10 

in  Miss  NANCY  SHOTT 19 

iv  A  LAUNCH  INTO  A  NEW  LIFE       .        .  28 
v  A  FUR-TRIMMED  OVERCOAT  AND  A  SILK 

HAT 38 

vi  A  TEMPERANCE  LARK    ....  47 

vii  MR.  BURKE  ACCEPTS  A  BESPONSIBILITY  .  60 

vin  MR.   BURKE  BEGINS   TO  MAKE  THINGS 

MOVE  IN  PLAINTON     ....        70 

ix  A  MEETING  OF  HEIRS        .        .        .        .81 
x  THE  INTELLECT  OF  Miss  INCHMAN       .        93 

xi  THE   ARRIVAL   OF    THE   NEW    DINING- 
ROOM       100 

xn  THE  THORPDYKE  SISTERS      .        .        .      110 

xin  MONEY-HUNGER 116 

xiv  WILLY    CROUP    AS    A    PHILANTHROPIC 

DIPLOMATIST 123 

xv  Miss  NANCY  MAKES  A  CALL     .        .        .  131 
xvi  MR.  BURKE  MAKES  A  CALL  .        .        .      138 

xvn  MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 150 

vii 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

xvni  THE  DAWN  OF  THE  GROVE  OF  THE 

INCAS 160 

xix  THE  "SUMMER  SHELTER  "    .        .  .  166 

xx  THE  SYNOD 173 

xxi  A  TELEGRAM  FROM  CAPTAIN  HORN  .  178 
xxn  THE  "SUMMER  SHELTER"  GOES  TO 

SEA 187 

xxni  WILLY  CROUP  COMES  TO  THE  FRONT  .  197 
xxiv  CHANGES  ON  THE  "SUMMER  SHEL 
TER"        ......  209 

xxv  A  NOTE  FOR  CAPTAIN  BURKE       .        .  224 

xxvi  "WE'LL  STICK  TO  SHIRLEY"    .        .      234 

xxvn  ON  BOARD  THE  "DUNKERY  BEACON  " .  241 

xxvin  THE  PEOPLE  ON  THE  "MONTEREY"  .      253 

xxix  THE  "VITTORIO"  FROM  GENOA    .        .  260 

xxx  THE    BATTLE   OF   THE   MERCHANT 

SHIPS       .        .        .  .270 

xxxi  "SHE  BACKED  ! " 279 

xxxn  A  HEAD  ON  THE  WATER  .        .        .      285 
xxxin  lio  so/  19"  NORTH     LATITUDE     BY 

56°  io'  49"  WEST  LONGITUDE  .        .  292 
xxxiv  PLAINTON,  MAINE      ....      304 


viii 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 
CHAPTER  I 

ALONE  "WITH  HER  WEALTH 

ON  a  beautiful  September  afternoon,  in  a  handsome 
room  of  one  of  the  grand,  up-town  hotels  in  'New 
York,  sat  Mrs.  Cliff,  widow  and  millionaire. 

Widow  of  a  village  merchant,  mistress  of  an  un 
pretending  house  in  the  little  town  of  Plainton,  Maine, 
and,  by  strange  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  the  possessor 
of  great  wealth,  she  was  on  her  way  from  Paris  to  the 
scene  of  that  quiet  domestic  life  to  which,  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  she  had  been  accustomed. 

She  was  alone  in  the  hotel.  Her  friends,  Captain 
Horn  and  his  wife  Edna,  who  had  crossed  the  ocean 
with  her,  had  stayed  but  a  few  days  in  New  York,  and 
had  left  early  that  afternoon  for  Niagara,  and  she  was 
here  by  herself  in  the  hotel,  waiting  until  the  hour 
should  arrive  when  she  would  start  on  a  night  train 
for  her  home. 

Her  position  was  a  peculiar  one,  altogether  new  to 
her.  She  was  absolutely  independent.  Not  only  could 
she  do  what  she  pleased,  but  there  was  no  one  to  tell 

3 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

her  what  it  would  be  well  for  her  to  do,  wise  for  her 
to  do,  or  unwise.  Everything  she  could  possibly  want 
was  within  her  reach,  and  there  was  no  reason  why 
she  should  not  have  everything  she  wanted. 

For  many  months  she  had  been  possessed  of  enor 
mous  wealth,  but  never  until  this  moment  had  she 
felt  herself  the  absolute,  untrammelled  possessor  of  it. 
Until  now  Captain  Horn,  to  whom  she  owed  her  gold, 
and  the  power  it  gave  her,  had  been  with  her  or  had 
exercised  an  influence  over  her.  Until  the  time  had 
come  when  he  could  avow  the  possession  of  his  vast 
treasures,  it  had  been  impossible  for  her  to  make  known 
her  share  in  them,  and  even  after  everything  had  been 
settled,  and  they  had  all  come  home  together  in  the 
finest  state-rooms  of  a  great  ocean  liner,  she  had  still 
felt  dependent  upon  the  counsels  and  judgment  of  her 
friends. 

But  now  she  was  left  absolutely  free  and  inde 
pendent,  untrammelled,  uncounselled,  alone  with  her 
wealth. 

She  rose  and  looked  out  of  the  window,  and,  as  she 
gazed  upon  the  crowd  which  swept  up  and  down  the 
beautiful  avenue,  she  could  not  but  smile  as  she  thought 
that  she,  a  plain  New  England  countrywoman,  with 
her  gray  hair  brushed  back  from  her  brows,  with 
hands  a  little  hardened  and  roughened  with  many  a 
year  of  household  duties,  which  had  been  to  her  as 
much  a  pleasure  as  a  labor,  was,  in  all  probability, 
richer  than  most  of  the  people  who  sat  in  the  fine 
carriages  or  strolled  in  their  fashionable  clothes  along 
the  sidewalk. 

"If  I  wanted  to  do  it,"  she  thought,  "I  could  have 
one  of  those  carriages  with  prancing  horses  and  a 

4 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

driver  in  knee-breeches,  or  I  could  buy  that  house 
opposite,  with  its  great  front  steps,  its  balconies,  and 
everything  in  it.  But  there  is  nobody  on  this  earth 
who  could  tempt  me  to  live  there." 

"No,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff  to  herself,  as  she  turned  from 
the  window,  and  selecting  a  fresh  easy-chair,  sank 
down  into  its  luxurious  depths,  "there  is  nothing  in 
this  world  so  delightful  as  to  go  back  rich  to  Plainton. 
To  be  rich  in  Paris  or  New  York  is  nothing  to  me.  It 
would  simply  mean  that  I  should  be  a  common  person 
there,  as  I  used  to  be  at  home,  and,  for  the  matter  of 
that,  a  little  more  common." 

As  the  good  lady's  thoughts  wandered  northward, 
and  spread  themselves  from  the  railroad  station  at 
Plainton  all  over  the  little  town,  she  was  filled  with  a 
great  content  and  happiness  to  go  to  her  old  home 
with  her  new  money.  This  was  a  joy  beyond  any 
thing  she  had  dreamed  of  as  possible  in  this  world. 

But  it  was  the  conjunction  of  the  two  which  pro 
duced  this  delightful  effect  upon  her  mind.  The 
money  anywhere  else,  or  Plainton  without  it,  would 
not  have  made  Mrs.  Cliff  the  happy  woman  that  she 
was. 

It  pleased  her  to  let  her  mind  wander  over  the 
incidents  of  her  recent  visit  to  her  old  home,  the  most 
unhappy  visit  she  had  ever  made  in  all  her  life,  but 
everything  that  was  unpleasant  then  would  help  to 
make  everything  more  delightful  in  the  present  home 
coming. 

She  thought  of  the  mental  chains  and  fetters  she 
had  worn  when  she  went  to  Plainton  with  plenty  of 
money  in  her  purse  and  a  beautiful  pair  of  California 
blankets  in  her  handsome  trunk  ;  when  she  had  been 

5 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

afraid  to  speak  of  the  one  or  to  show  the  other ;  when 
she  had  sat  quietly  and  received  charity  from  people 
whose  houses  and  land,  furniture,  horses,  and  cows, 
she  could  have  bought  and  given  away  without  feel 
ing  their  loss ;  when  she  had  been  publicly  berated  by 
Nancy  Shott  for  spending  on  luxuries  money  which 
should  have  been  used  to  pay  her  debts ;  when  she 
had  been  afraid  to  put  her  money  in  the  bank  for  fear 
it  would  act  as  a  dynamite  bomb  and  blow  up  the 
fortunes  of  her  friends ;  and  when  she  could  find  no 
refuge  from  the  miseries  brought  upon  her  by  the 
necessity  of  concealing  her  wealth,  except  to  go  to  bed 
and  cover  up  her  head  so  that  she  should  not  hear  the 
knock  of  some  inquiring  neighbor  upon  her  front  door. 

Then,  when  she  had  made  this  background  as  dark 
and  gloomy  as  it  was  possible  to  make  it,  she  placed 
before  it  the  glittering  picture  of  her  new  existence 
in  Plainton. 

But  this  new  life,  bright  as  it  now  appeared  to  her, 
was  not  to  be  begun  without  careful  thought  and 
earnest  consideration.  Ever  since  her  portion  of  the 
golden  treasure  had  been  definitely  assigned  to  her, 
the  mind  of  Mrs.  Cliff  had  been  much  occupied  with 
plans  for  her  future  in  her  old  home. 

It  was  not  to  be  altogether  a  new  life.  All  the 
friends  she  had  in  the  world,  excepting  Captain  and 
Mrs.  Horn,  lived  in  Plainton.  She  did  not  wish  to 
lose  these  friends— she  did  not  wish  to  be  obliged  to 
make  new  ones.  With  simple-minded  and  honest 
Willy  Croup,  who  had  long  lived  with  her  and  for 
her,  with  Mrs.  Perley,  the  minister's  wife,  with  all 
her  old  neighbors  and  friends,  she  wished  to  live  as 
she  had  always  lived,  but,  of  course,  with  a  difference. 

6 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

How  to  manage,  arrange,  and  regulate  that  difference 
was  the  great  problem  in  her  mind. 

One  thing  she  had  determined  upon :  her  money 
should  not  come  between  her  and  those  who  loved  her 
and  who  were  loved  by  her.  No  matter  what  she 
might  do  or  what  she  might  not  do,  she  would  not 
look  down  upon  people  simply  because  she  was  rich. 
And  oh,  the  blessed  thought  which  followed  that ! 
There  would  be  nobody  who  could  look  down  upon 
her  because  she  was  not  rich  ! 

She  did  not  intend  to  be  a  fine  new  woman.  She  did 
not  intend  to  build  a  fine  new  house.  She  was  going 
to  be  the  same  Mrs.  Cliff  that  she  used  to  be— she  was 
going  to  live  in  the  same  house.  To  be  sure,  she  would 
add  to  it.  She  would  have  a  new  dining-room,  and  a 
guest-chamber  over  it,  and  she  would  do  a  great 
many  other  things  which  were  needed,  but  she  would 
live  in  her  old  home,  where  she  and  her  husband  had 
been  so  happy,  and  where  she  hoped  he  would  look 
down  from  heaven  and  see  her  happy  until  the  end  of 
her  days. 

As  she  thought  of  the  things  she  intended  to  do,  and 
of  the  manner  in  which  she  intended  to  do  them,  Mrs. 
Cliff  rose  and  walked  the  floor.  She  felt  as  if  she  were 
a  bird— a  common-sized  bird,  perhaps,  but  with  enor 
mous  wings,  which  seemed  to  grow  and  grow  the  more 
she  thought  of  them,  until  they  were  able  to  carry  her 
so  far  and  so  high  that  her  mind  lost  its  power  of 
directing  them. 

She  determined  to  cease  to  think  of  the  future,  of 
what  was  going  to  be,  and  to  let  her  mind  rest  and 
quiet  itself  with  what  really  existed.  Here  she  was 
in  a  great  city  full  of  wonders  and  delights,  of  com- 

7 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

forts,  conveniences,  luxuries,  necessities,  and  all  within 
her  power.  Almost  anything  she  could  think  of  she 
might  have.  Almost  anything  she  wanted  to  do  she 
might  do.  A  feeling  of  potentiality  seemed  to  swell 
and  throb  within  her  veins.  She  was  possessed  of  an 
overpowering  desire  to  do  something  now,  this  mo 
ment,  to  try  the  power  of  her  wealth. 

Near  her  on  the  richly  papered  wall  was  a  little 
button.  She  could  touch  this  and  order— what  should 
she  order?  A  carriage  and  prancing  pair  to  take  her 
to  drive  ?  She  did  not  wish  to  drive.  A  cab  to  take 
her  to  the  shops,  or  an  order  to  merchants  to  send  her 
samples  of  their  wares,  that  here,  in  her  own  room, 
like  a  queen  or  a  princess,  she  might  choose  what  she 
wanted  and  think  nothing  of  the  cost?  But  no,  she 
did  not  wish  ta  buy  anything.  She  had  purchased 
in  Paris  everything  that  she  cared  to  carry  to 
Plainton. 

She  went  and  stood  by  the  electric  button.  She 
must  touch  it,  and  must  have  something !  Her  gold 
must  give  her  an  instant  proof  that  it  could  minister 
to  her  desires,  but  what  should  she  ask  for  ?  Her  mind 
travelled  over  the  whole  field  of  the  desirable,  and  yet 
not  one  salient  object  presented  itself.  There  was 
absolutely  nothing  that  she  could  think  of  that  she 
wished  to  ask  for  at  that  moment.  She  was  like  a 
poor  girl  in  a  fairy-tale,  to  whom  a  good  fairy  comes 
and  asks  her  to  make  one  wish  and  it  shall  be  granted, 
and  who  stands  hesitating  and  trembling,  not  being 
able  to  decide  what  is  the  one  great  thing  for  which 
she  should  ask. 

So  stood  Mrs.  Cliff.  There  was  a  fairy,  a  powerful 
fairy,  in  her  service,  who  could  give  her  anything  she 

8 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

desired,  and  with  all  her  heart  she  wanted  to  want 
something  that  minute.     What  should  she  want? 

In  her  agitation  she  touched  the  bell.  Half  fright 
ened  at  what  she  had  done,  she  stepped  back  and  sat 
down.  In  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  knock,  the  door 
opened,  a  servant  entered.  "Bring  me  a  cup  of  tea," 
said  Mrs.  Cliff. 


CHAPTER  II 

WILLY  CROUP  DOESN'T  KNOW 

THE  next  afternoon,  as  the  train  approached  Plainton, 
Mrs.  Cliff  found  herself  a  great  deal  agitated  as  she 
thought  of  the  platform  at  the  station.  Who  would 
be  there?  How  should  she  be  met?  With  all  her 
heart  she  hoped  that  there  would  not  be  anything 
like  a  formal  reception,  and  yet  this  was  not  improb 
able.  Everybody  knew  she  was  coming  ;  everybody 
knew  by  what  train  she  would  arrive.  She  had 
written  to  Willy  Croup,  and  she  was  very  sure  that 
everybody  knew  everything  that  she  had  written. 
More  than  this,  everybody  knew  that  she  was  coming 
home  rich.  How  rich  they  were  not  aware,  because 
she  had  not  gone  into  particulars  on  this  subject,  but 
they  knew  that  the  wealthy  Mrs.  Cliff  would  arrive  at 
five-twenty  that  afternoon,  and  what  were  they  going 
to  do  about  it? 

When  she  had  gone  home  before,  all  her  friends 
and  neighbors,  and  even  distant  acquaintances,— if 
such  people  were  possible  in  such  a  little  town,— had 
come  to  her  house  to  bid  her  welcome,  and  many  of 
them  had  met  her  at  the  station.  But  then  they  had 
come  to  meet  a  poor,  shipwrecked  widow,  pitied  by 

10 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

most  of  them  and  loved  by  many.  Even  those  who 
neither  pitied  nor  loved  her  had  a  curiosity  to  see  her, 
for  she  had  been  shipwrecked,  and  it  was  not  known 
in  Plainton  how  people  looked  after  they  had  been 
wrecked. 

But  now  the  case  was  so  different  that  Mrs.  Cliff  did 
not  expect  the  same  sort  of  greeting,  and  she  greatly 
feared  formality.  If  Mr.  Perley  should  appear  on  the 
platform,  surrounded  by  some  of  the  leading  members 
of  his  congregation,  and  should  publicly  take  her  by 
the  hand  and  bid  her  "Welcome  home  ! "  and  if  those 
who  felt  themselves  entitled  to  do  so  should  come 
forward  and  shake  hands  with  her,  while  others,  who 
might  feel  that  they  belonged  to  a  different  station  in 
life,  should  keep  in  the  background  and  wait  until  she 
came  to  speak  to  them,  she  would  be  deeply  hurt. 

After  all,  Plainton  and  the  people  in  it  were  dearer 
to  her  than  anything  else  in  the  world,  and  it  would 
be  a  great  shock  if  she  should  meet  formality  where 
she  looked  for  cordial  love.  She  wanted  to  see  Mr. 
Perley,— he  was  the  first  person  she  had  seen  when 
she  came  home  before,— but  now  she  hoped  that  he 
would  not  be  there.  She  was  very  much  afraid  that 
he  would  make  a  stiff  speech  to  her,  and  if  he  did 
that,  she  would  know  that  there  had  been  a  great 
change,  and  that  the  friends  she  would  meet  were  not 
the  same  friends  she  had  left.  She  was  almost  afraid 
to  look  out  of  the  window  as  the  train  slowed  up  at 
the  station. 

The  minds  of  the  people  of  Plainton  had  been 
greatly  exercised  about  this  home-coming  of  Mrs. 
Cliff.  That  afternoon  it  was  probable  that  no  other 
subject  of  importance  was  thought  about  or  talked 

11 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

about  in  the  town,  and  for  some  days  before  the 
whole  matter  had  been  so  thoroughly  considered  and 
discussed  that  the  good  citizens,  without  really  com 
ing  to  any  fixed  and  general  decision  upon  the  subject, 
had  individually  made  up  their  minds  that,  no  matter 
what  might  happen  afterwards,  they  would  make  no 
mistake  upon  this  very  important  occasion  which 
might  subsequently  have  an  influence  upon  their 
intercourse  with  their  old,  respected  neighbor,  now 
millionaire.  Each  one  for  himself,  or  herself,  decided 
—some  of  them  singly  and  some  of  them  in  groups— 
that  as  they  did  not  know  what  sort  of  a  woman  Mrs. 
Cliff  had  become  since  the  change  in  her  circum 
stances,  they  would  not  place  themselves  in  false 
positions.  Other  people  might  go  and  meet  her  at 
the  station,  but  they  would  stay  at  home  and  see 
what  happened.  Even  Mr.  Perley  thought  it  wise, 
under  the  circumstances,  to  do  this. 

Therefore  it  was  that,  when  Mrs.  Cliff  stepped  down 
upon  the  platform,  she  saw  no  one  there  but  Willy 
Croup.  If  Mrs.  Cliff  was  a  little  shocked  and  a  good 
deal  surprised  to  find  no  one  to  meet  her  but  that 
simple-minded  dependant  and  relative,  her  emotions 
were  excited  in  a  greater  degree  by  the  manner  in 
which  she  was  greeted  by  this  old  friend  and  com 
panion. 

Instead  of  rushing  toward  her  with  open  arms,— 
for  Willy  was  an  impulsive  person  and  given  to  such 
emotional  demonstrations,— Miss  Croup  came  forward 
extending  a  loosely  filled  black  cotton  glove.  Her 
large,  light-blue  eyes  showed  a  wondering  interest, 
and  Mrs.  Cliff  felt  that  every  portion  of  her  visible 
attire  was  being  carefully  scanned. 

12 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

For  a  moment  Mrs.  Cliff  hesitated,  and  then  she  took 
the  hand  of  Willy  Cronp  and  shook  it.  But  she  did  not 
speak.  She  had  no  command  of  words— at  least,  for 
greeting. 

Willy  earnestly  inquired  after  her  health,  and  said 
how  glad  she  was  to  see  her.  But  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not 
listen.  She  looked  about  her.  For  an  instant  she 
thought  that  possibly  the  train  had  come  in  ahead  of 
time.  But  this,  of  course,  was  absurd— trains  never 
did  that. 

"Willy,"  she  said,  her  voice  a  little  shaken,  "has 
anything  happened?  Is  anybody  sick1? " 

"Oh,  no  ! "  said  Willy.  "Everybody  is  well,  so  far 
as  I  know.  I  guess  you  are  wondering  why  there  is 
nobody  here  to  meet  you,  and  I  have  been  wondering 
at  that,  too.  They  must  have  thought  that  you  did 
not  want  to  be  bothered  when  you  were  attending 
to  your  baggage  and  things.  Is  anybody  with 
you  ?  " 

"With  me  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Who  could  be 
with  me?" 

"Oh,  I  didn't  know,"  replied  the  other.  "I  thought 
perhaps  you  might  have  a  maid-servant,  or  some  of 
those  black  people  you  wrote  about." 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  on  the  point  of  telling  Willy  she  was 
a  fool,  but  she  refrained. 

"Here  is  the  baggageman,"  said  Willy,  "and  he 
wants  your  checks." 

As  Mrs.  Cliff  took  the  little  pieces  of  brass  from  her 
purse  and  handed  them  to  the  man,  Willy  looked  on 
in  amazement. 

"Good  gracious!"  she  exclaimed.  "Seven!  I 
guess  you  had  to  pay  for  extra  baggage.  Shall  I  get 

13 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

you  a  carriage,  and  where  do  you  want  to  be  driven 
to— to  your  own  house  or  the  hotel?" 

Now  Mrs.  Cliff  could  not  restrain  herself.  "What 
is  the  matter  with  you,  Willy?  Have  you  gone 
crazy?"  she  exclaimed.  "Of  course,  I  am  going  to 
my  own  house,  and  I  do  not  want  any  carriage.  Did 
I  ever  need  a  carriage  to  take  me  such  a  short  distance 
as  that?  Tell  the  man  to  bring  some  one  with  him  to 
carry  the  trunks  up-stairs,  and  then  come  on." 

"Let  me  carry  your  bag,"  said  Willy,  as  the  two 
walked  away  from  the  station  at  a  much  greater  pace, 
it  may  be  remarked,  than  Willy  was  accustomed  to 
walk. 

"No,  you  shall  not  carry  my  bag,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff, 
and  not  another  word  did  she  speak  until  she  had  en 
tered  the  hallway  of  her  home.  Then,  closing  the 
door  behind  her,  and  without  looking  around  at  any 
of  the  dear  objects  for  a  sight  of  which  she  had  so 
long  been  yearning,  she  turned  to  her  companion. 

"Willy,"  she  cried,  "what  does  this  mean?  Why 
do  you  treat  me  in  this  way  when  I  come  home  after 
having  been  away  so  long,  and  having  suffered  so 
much  ?  Why  do  you  greet  me  as  if  you  took  me  for 
a  tax-collector?  Why  do  you  stand  there  like  a— a 
horrible  clam  ?  " 

Willy  hesitated.  She  looked  up,  and  she  looked 
down. 

"Things  are  so  altered,"  she  said,  "and  I  didn't 
know—" 

"Well,  know  now,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  as  she  held  out 
her  arms.  In  a  moment  the  two  women  were  clasped 
in  a  tight  embrace,  kissing  and  sobbing. 

"How  should  I  know? "  said  poor  Willy,  as  she  was 
14 


MRS    CLIFFS  YACHT 

wiping  her  eyes.  "Chills  went  down  me  as  I  stood 
on  that  platform,  wondering  what  sort  of  a  grand  lady 
you  would  look  like  when  you  got  out  of  the  car,  with 
two  servant- women,  most  likely,  and  perhaps  a  butler, 
and  trying  to  think  what  I  should  say." 

Mrs.  Cliff  laughed.  "You  were  born  addle-pated, 
and  you  can't  help  it.  Now,  let  us  go  through  this 
house  without  wasting  a  minute ! " 

"Willy  gazed  at  her  in  amazement. 

"You're  just  the  same  as  you  always  was  ! "  she  cried. 

"Indeed,  I  am !"  said  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Did  you  clean 
this  dining-room  yourself,  Willy?  It  looks  as  spick- 
and-span,  as  if  I  had  just  left  it." 

"Indeed,  it  does,"  was  the  proud  reply,  "and  you 
couldn't  find  a  speck  of  dust  from  the  ceiling  to  the 
floor ! " 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  had  been  up -stairs  and  down-stairs, 
and  in  the  front  yard,  the  side  yard,  and  the  back 
yard,  and  when  her  happy  eyes  had  rested  upon  all 
her  dear  possessions,  she  went  into  the  kitchen. 

"Now,  Willy,"  she  said.,  "let  us  go  to  work  and  get 
supper,  for,  I  must  say,  I  am  hungry." 

At  this  Willy  Croup  turned  pale,  her  chin  dropped, 
a  horrible  suspicion  took  possession  of  her.  Could  it 
be  possible  that  it  was  all  a  mistake,  or  that  something 
dreadful  had  happened— that  the  riches  which  every 
body  had  been  talking  about  had  never  existed,  or 
had  disappeared?  She  might  want  to  go  to  her  old 
home ;  she  might  want  to  see  her  goods  and  chattels, 
but  that  she  should  want  to  help  get  supper— that 
was  incomprehensible !  At  that  moment  the  world 
looked  very  black  to  Willy.  If  Mrs.  Cliff  had  gone 
into  the  parlor,  and  had  sat  down  in  the  best  rocking- 

15 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

chair  to  rest  herself,  and  had  said  to  her,  "Please  get 
supper  as  soon  as  you  can/'  Willy  would  have  be 
lieved  in  everything.  But  now  ! 

The  grinding  of  heavy  wheels  was  heard  in  front  of 
the  house,  and  Willy  turned  quickly  and  looked  out 
of  the  window.  There  was  a  wagon  containing  seven 
enormous  trunks  !  Since  the  days  when  Plainton  was 
a  little  hamlet,  up  to  the  present  time,  when  it  con 
tained  a  hotel,  a  bank,  a  lyceum,  and  a  weekly  paper, 
no  one  had  ever  arrived  within  its  limits  with  seven 
such  trunks.  Instantly  the  blackness  disappeared 
from  before  the  mind  of  Willy  Croup. 

"Now,  you  tell  the  men  where  to  carry  them,"  she 
cried,  "and  I  will  get  the  supper  in  no  time  !  Betty 
Handshall  stayed  here  until  this  morning,  but  she 
went  away  after  dinner,  for  she  was  afraid  if  she  stayed 
she  would  be  in  the  way,  not  knowing  how  much  help 
you  would  bring  with  you." 

"I  wonder  if  they  are  all  crack-brained,"  thought 
Mrs.  Cliff,  as  she  went  to  the  front  door  to  attend  to 
her  baggage. 

That  evening  nearly  all  Plainton  came  to  see  Mrs. 
Cliff.  No  matter  how  she  returned, —as  a  purse-proud 
bondholder,  as  a  lady  of  elegant  wealth  with  her  at 
tendants,  as  an  old  friend  suddenly  grown  jolly  and 
prosperous,— it  would  be  all  right  for  her  neighbors 
to  go  in  and  see  her  in  the  evening.  There  they  might 
suit  themselves  to  her  new  deportment,  whatever  it 
might  be,  and  there  would  be  no  danger  of  any  of 
them  getting  into  false  positions,  which  would  have 
been  very  likely  indeed  if  they  had  gone  to  meet  her 
at  the  station. 

16 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Her  return  to  her  own  house  gave  her  real  friends 
a  great  deal  of  satisfaction,  for  some  of  them  had  feared 
she  would  not  go  there.  It  would  have  been  difficult 
for  them  to  know  how  to  greet  Mrs.  Cliff  at  a  hotel, 
even  such  an  unpretentious  one  as  that  of  Plainton. 
All  these  friends  found  her  the  same  warm-hearted? 
cordial  woman  that  she  had  ever  been.  In  fact,  if 
there  was  any  change  at  all  in  her,  she  was  more 
cordial  than  they  had  yet  known  her.  As  in  the  case 
of  Willy  Croup,  a  cloud  had  risen  before  her.  She 
had  been  beset  by  the  sudden  fear  that  her  money 
already  threatened  to  come  between  her  and  her  old 
friends.  "Not  if  I  can  help  it ! "  said  Mrs.  Cliff  to 
herself,  as  fervently  as  if  she  had  been  vowing  a  vow 
to  seek  the  Holy  Grail.  And  she  did  help  it.  The 
good  people  forgot  what  they  had  expected  to  think 
about  her,  and  only  remembered  what  they  had 
always  thought  of  her.  No  matter  what  had  hap 
pened,  she  was  the  same. 

But  what  had  happened,  and  how  it  had  happened, 
and  all  about  it,  up  and  down,  to  the  right  and  the 
left,  above  and  below,  everybody  wanted  to  know. 
And  Mrs.  Cliff,  with  sparkling  eyes,  was  only  too  glad 
to  tell  them.  She  had  been  obliged  to  be  so  reserved 
when  she  had  come  home  before,  that  she  was  all  the 
more  eager  to  be  communicative  now,  and  it  was  past 
midnight  before  the  first  of  that  eager  and  delighted 
company  thought  of  going  home. 

There  was  one  question,  however,  which  Mrs.  Cliff 
successfully  evaded,  and  that  was— the  amount  of  her 
wealth.  She  would  not  give  even  an  approximate 
idea  of  the  value  of  her  share  of  the  golden  treasure. 

17 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

It  was  very  soon  plain  to  everybody  that  Mrs.  Cliff 
was  the  same  woman  she  used  to  be  in  regard  to 
keeping  to  herself  that  which  she  did  not  wish  to  tell 
to  others,  and  so  everybody  went  away  with  imagina 
tion  absolutely  unfettered. 


18 


CHAPTEE  III 

MISS  NANCY  SHOTT 

THE  next  morning  Mrs.  Cliff  sat  alone  in  her  parlor, 
with  her  mind  earnestly  fixed  upon  her  own  circum 
stances.  Out  in  the  kitchen,  Willy  Croup  was  dashing 
about  like  a  domestic  fanatic,  eager  to  get  the  morn 
ing's  work  done,  and  everything  put  in  order,  that  she 
might  go  up -stairs  with  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  witness  the 
opening  of  those  wonderful  trunks. 

She  was  a  happy  woman,  for  she  had  a  new  dish- 
pan,  which  Mrs.  Cliff  had  authorized  her  to  buy  that 
very  morning,  the  holes  in  the  bottom  of  the  old  one 
having  been  mended  so  often  that  she  and  Mrs.  Cliff 
both  believed  that  it  would  be  very  well  to  get  a  new 
one  and  rid  themselves  of  further  trouble. 

Willy  also  had  had  the  proud  satisfaction  of  stop 
ping  at  the  carpenter  shop,  on  her  way  to  buy  the 
dish-pan,  and  order  him  to  come  and  do  whatever  was 
necessary  to  the  back  kitchen  door.  Sometimes  it  had 
been  the  hinges  and  sometimes  it  had  been  the  lock 
which  had  been  out  of  order  on  that  door  for  at  least 
a  year,  and  although  they  had  been  tinkering  here 
and  tinkering  there,  the  door  had  never  worked 
properly.  But  now  Mrs.  Cliff  had  said  that  it  must  be 

19 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

put  in  perfect  order,  even  if  a  new  door  and  a  new 
frame  were  required,  and  without  any  regard  to  what 
it  might  cost.  This  to  Willy  was  the  dawn  of  a  new 
era,  and  the  thought  of  it  excited  her  like  wine. 

Mrs.  Cliff's  mind  was  not  excited  ;  it  was  disquieted. 
She  had  been  thinking  of  her  investments  and  of  her 
deposits,  all  of  which  had  been  made  under  wise  ad 
vice,  and  it  had  suddenly  occurred  to  her  to  calculate 
how  much  richer  she  was  to-day  than  she  had  been 
yesterday.  When  she  appreciated  the  fact  that  the 
interest  on  her  invested  property  had  increased  her 
wealth,  since  the  previous  morning,  by  some  hundreds 
of  dollars,  it  frightened  her.  She  felt  as  if  an  irre 
sistible  flood  of  opulence  was  flowing  in  upon  her,  and 
she  shuddered  to  think  of  the  responsibility  of  direct 
ing  it  into  its  proper  courses,  and  so  preventing  it 
from  overwhelming  her  and  sweeping  her  away. 

To-morrow  there  would  be  several  hundred  dollars 
more,  and  the  next  day  more,  and  so  on  always.  And 
what  was  she  doing,  or  what  had  she  planned  to 
do,  to  give  proper  direction  to  these  tidal  waves  of 
wealth  ?  She  had  bought  a  new  dish-pan  and  ordered 
a  door  repaired ! 

To  be  sure,  it  was  very  soon  to  begin  to  think  of 
the  expenditure  of  her  income,  but  it  was  a  question 
which  could  not  be  postponed.  The  importance  of  it 
was  increasing  all  the  time.  Every  five  minutes  she 
was  two  dollars  richer. 

For  a  moment  she  wished  herself  back  in  Paris  or 
New  York. 

There  she  might  open  some  flood-gate  which  would 
give  instant  relief  from  the  pressure  of  her  affluence, 
and  allow  her  time  to  think.  But  what  could  she  do  in 

20 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Plainton— at  least,  how  should  she  begin  to  do  any 
thing? 

She  got  up  and  walked  about  the  room.  She  was 
becoming  annoyed,  and  even  a  little  angry.  She 
resented  this  intrusion  of  her  wealth  upon  her.  She 
wanted  to  rest  quietly  for  a  time,  to  enjoy  her  home 
and  friends,  and  not  be  obliged  to  think  of  anything 
which  it  was  incumbent  upon  her  to  do.  From  the 
bottom  of  her  heart  she  wished  that  her  possessions 
had  all  been  solid  gold,  or  in  some  form  in  which  they 
could  not  increase,  expand,  or  change  in  any  way 
until  she  gave  them  leave.  Then  she  would  live  for 
a  week  or  two  as  she  used  to  live,  without  thought  of 
increment  or  responsibilities,  until  she  was  ready  to 
begin  the  life  of  a  rich  woman,  and  to  set  in  motion 
the  currents  of  her  exuberant  income. 

But  she  could  not  change  the  state  of  affairs.  The 
system  of  interest  had  been  set  in  motion,  and  her 
income  was  flowing  in  upon  her  hour  by  hour,  day  by 
day,  steadily  and  irresistibly,  and  her  mind  could  not 
be  at  rest  until  she  had  done  something— at  least, 
planned  something— which  would  not  only  prevent 
her  from  being  overwhelmed  and  utterly  discouraged, 
but  which  would  enable  her  to  float  proudly,  on  this 
grand  current  of  absolute  power,  over  the  material 
interests  of  the  world. 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  a  woman  of  good  sense.  No  matter 
how  much  money  she  might  possess,  she  would  have 
considered  herself  its  unworthy  possessor  if  she  should 
spend  any  of  it  without  proper  value  received.  She 
might  spend  it  foolishly,  but  she  wanted  the  worth  of 
her  money.  She  would  consider  it  a  silly  thing,  for 
instance,  to  pay  a  thousand  dollars  for  an  India  shawl, 

21 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

because  few  people  wore  India  shawls,  and  she  did  not 
care  for  them ;  but  if  she  had  done  so,  she  would  have 
been  greatly  mortified  if  she  found  that  she  had  paid 
too  much,  and  that  she  might  have  bought  as  good  a 
shawl  for  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

Since  she  had  been  in  that  room  and  thinking  about 
these  things,  enough  interest  had  come  to  her  to  en 
able  her  to  buy  a  good  silver  watch  for  some  deserving 
person.  Now,  who  was  there  to  whom  she  could  give 
a  plain  silver  watch  f  Willy  Croup  would  be  glad  to 
have  it,  but  then,  it  would  be  better  to  wait  a  few 
hours  and  give  her  a  gold  one. 

Now  it  was  that  Willy  came  into  the  room  with  a 
disappointed  expression  upon  her  countenance. 

"I  was  just  coming  in  to  tell  you,"  she  said,  "that  I 
was  ready  now  to  go  up  and  help  you  open  the  trunks, 
but  here  comes  that  horrid  Miss  Shott,  and  dear  knows 
how  long  she  will  stay  ! " 

Nancy  Shott  was  the  leading  spinster  of  Plainton. 
In  companies  where  there  were  married  ladies  she 
was  sometimes  obliged  to  take  a  second  place,  but 
never  among  maidens,  old  or  young.  There  were 
very  few  subjects  upon  which  Miss  Shott  had  not  an 
opinion,  and  whatever  this  opinion  might  be,  she 
considered  it  her  first  duty  in  life  to  express  it.  As 
a  rule,  the  expression  was  more  agreeable  to  her  than 
to  others. 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  heard  that  Miss  Shott  was  ap 
proaching,  she  instantly  forgot  her  wealth  and  all  her 
perplexities  concerning  it.  Miss  Shott  had  not  called 
upon  her  the  previous  evening,  but  she  had  not  ex 
pected  her,  nor  did  she  expect  her  now. 

On  her  previous  visit  to  Plainton,  Mrs.  Cliff  had 
22 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

been  shamefully  insulted  by  Miss  Shott,  who  had 
accused  her  of  extravagance,  and,  by  implication,  of 
dishonesty,  and,  in  return,  the  indignant  widow  had 
opened  upon  her  such  a  volley  of  justifiable  retaliation 
that  Miss  Shott,  in  great  wrath,  had  retired  from  the 
house,  followed,  figuratively,  by  a  small  coin,  which 
she  had  brought  as  a  present,  and  which  had  been 
hurled  after  her. 

But  Mrs.  Cliff  knew  that  her  acrimonious  neighbor 
could  never  be  depended  upon  to  do  anything  which 
might  be  expected  of  her,  and  she  was  not  quite  so 
much  surprised  as  she  was  annoyed.  Of  course,  she 
had  known  she  must  meet  Nancy  Shott,  and  she  had 
intended  to  do  nothing  which  would  recall  to  the  mind 
of  any  one  that  she  remembered  the  disagreeable  in 
cident  referred  to,  but  she  had  not  expected  that  the 
meeting  would  be  in  private. 

She  knew  that  Nancy  would  do  something  decidedly 
unpleasant.  If  she  had  stayed  away  because  she 
wanted  a  chance  to  reopen  the  previous  quarrel, 
that  would  be  bad  enough,  but  if  she  had  determined 
to  drop  all  resentment,  and  had  come  prepared  to 
offer  honey  and  sugar,  and  thus  try  to  make  a  rich 
friend  out  of  one  she  had  considered  as  a  poor  enemy, 
that  would  be  still  more  disagreeable.  But  by  the 
time  the  visitor  had  entered  the  parlor,  Mrs.  Cliff  had 
made  up  her  mind  to  meet  her  as  if  nothing  unpleasant 
had  ever  happened  between  them,  and  then  to  await 
the  course  of  events.  She  was  not  at  all  pleased  with 
the  visit,  but,  notwithstanding  this,  she  had  great 
curiosity  to  know  what  Miss  Shott  had  to  say  about 
the  change  in  her  circumstances. 

Nancy  Shott  was  different  from  other  people.  She 
23 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

was  capable  of  drawing  the  most  astounding  inferences, 
and  of  coming  to  the  most  soul-irritating  conclusions, 
even  on  subjects  which  could  not  be  otherwise  than 
pleasant  to  ordinary  people. 

"How  do  you  do?"  said  Miss  Shott,  offering  her 
hand.  "I  am  glad  to  see  you  back,  Mrs.  Cliff." 

Mrs.  Cliff  replied  that  she  was  quite  well,  and  was 
glad  to  be  back. 

"You  are  not  looking  as  hale  as  you  did,"  said  the 
visitor,  as  she  seated  herself.  "You  must  have  lost  a 
good  many  pounds.  But  that  was  to  be  expected. 
From  what  I  have  heard,  South  America  must  be 
about  as  unhealthy  a  place  as  any  part  of  the  world, 
and  then,  on  top  of  that,  living  in  Paris,  with  water  to 
drink  which,  I  am  told,  is  enough  to  make  anybody 
sick  to  look  at  it,  is  bound  to  have  some  sort  of  an 
effect  upon  a  person." 

Mrs.  Cliff  smiled.  She  was  used  to  this  sort  of  talk 
from  Nancy  Shott.  "I  am  better  than  I  was  two 
years  ago,"  she  said,  "and  the  last  time  I  was  weighed 
I  found  that  I  had  gained  seven  pounds." 

"Well,  there  is  no  accounting  for  that,"  said  her 
visitor,  "except  as  we  grow  old  we  are  bound  to  show 
it,  and  sometimes  aging  looks  like  bad  health,  and  as 
to  fat,  that  often  comes  as  years  go  on,  though,  as  far 
as  I  am  concerned,  I  think  it  is  a  great  misfortune  to 
have  more  to  carry  as  you  get  less  and  less  able  to 
carry  it." 

Mrs.  Cliff  might  have  said  that  that  sort  of  thing 
would  not  be  likely  to  trouble  Miss  Shott,  whose 
scantily  furnished  frame  was  sure  to  become  thinner 
and  thinner  as  she  became  older  and  weaker,  but  she 
merely  smiled  and  waited  to  hear  what  would  come 
next. 

24 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

"I  do  not  want  to  worry  you,"  said  Miss  Shott, 
"but  several  people  that  were  here  last  night  said  you 
was  not  looking  as  they  had  hoped  to  see  you  look, 
and  I  will  just  say  to  you,  if  it  is  anything  connected 
with  your  appetite,  with  a  feeling  of  goneness  in  the 
mornings,  you  ought  to  buy  a  quassia  cup,  and  drink 
the  full  of  it  at  least  three  times  a  day." 

Miss  Shott  knew  that  Mrs.  Cliff  absolutely  detested 
the  taste  of  quassia.  Mrs.  Cliff  was  not  annoyed.  She 
hoped  that  her  visitor  would  soon  get  through  with 
these  prefatory  remarks,  and  begin  to  take  the  stand, 
whatever  it  might  be,  which  she  had  come  there  that 
morning  to  take. 

"  There  has  been  sickness  here  since  you  last  left," 
said  Miss  Shott,  "and  it  has  been  where  it  was  least  to 
be  expected,  too.  Barney  Thompson's  little  boy,  the 
second  son,  has  had  the  diphtheria,  and  where  he  got 
it  nobody  knows,  for  it  was  vacation-time,  and  he  did 
not  go  to  school,  and  there  was  no  other  diphtheria 
anywhere  in  all  this  town,  and  yet  he  had  it,  and  had 
it  bad." 

"He  did  not  die?"  said  Mrs.  Cliff. 

"Oh,  no,  he  got  over  it,  and  perhaps  it  was  a  bad 
case,  and  perhaps  it  was  not.  But  you  may  be  sure  I 
did  not  go  near  it,  for  I  considered  it  my  duty  to  keep 
away,  and  I  did  keep  away.  But  the  trouble  is—" 

"And  did  none  of  the  other  children  take  it?" 
asked  Mrs.  Cliff. 

"No,  they  didn't.  But  the  trouble  is  that  when 
diphtheria,  or  anything  like  it,  comes  up  suddenly  like 
this,  without  any  reason  that  nobody  can  see,  it  is  just 
as  likely  to  come  up  again  without  any  reason,  and  I 
am  expecting  to  hear  every  day  of  another  of  them 
Thompson  children  being  stricken  down.  So  I  was 

25 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

very  sorry  indeed,  Mrs.  Cliff,  to  see,  this  very  morning, 
Willy  Croup  coming  out  of  Barney  Thompson's  house, 
and  to  hear  from  her  afterwards  that  she  had  been  to 
order  him  to  come  here  to  put  up  a  new  kitchen  door, 
which  I  do  not  suppose  is  absolutely  needed,  and  even 
if  it  is,  I  am  sure  I  would  wait  a  good  while  before  I 
would  have  Barney  Thompson  come  into  my  house 
with  diphtheria,  that  very  minute,  perhaps,  in  the 
throats  of  one  or  maybe  more  of  his  children.  But,  of 
course,  if  people  choose  to  trifle  with  their  own  lives, 
it  is  their  own  business." 

"It  was  not  real  diphtheria,"  said  Willy  Croup,  who 
happened  to  be  passing  the  open  door  at  this  moment. 
"It  was  only  a  bad  sore  throat,  and  the  child  was  well 
in  two  days." 

"I  suppose,  of  course,"  said  Miss  Shott,  "that  if  the 
disease  did  get  into  this  house,  Willy  Croup  would  be 
the  first  to  take  it,  because  she  is  such  a  spongy  person 
that  she  takes  almost  anything  that  is  in  the  air  and 
is  not  wholesome.  But  then,  you  would  not  want  to 
lose  her,  and  after  a  funeral  in  the  house,  no  matter 
whose  it  may  be,  things  is  always  gloomy  for  a  long 
time  afterwards,  and  nobody  can  feel  easy  if  it  was  a 
catching  disease  that  the  person  died  of." 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  naturally  desirous  to  hear  all  the 
domestic  news  of  the  town,  but  she  would  have  liked 
to  have  had  something  pleasant  thrown  in  among  the 
gloomy  tidings  of  which  Miss  Shott  had  made  herself 
the  bearer,  and  so  she  made  a  little  effort  to  turn  the 
conversation. 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  go  about  and  see  my  old  friends 
and  neighbors,"  she  said,  "for  I  am  interested  in  every 
thing  which  has  happened  to  them.  But  I  suppose  it 

26 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

will  be  some  days  before  I  can  settle  down  and  feel 
ready  to  go  on  in  the  old  way.  It  seems  to  me  as  if  I 
had  been  on  the  move  ever  since  I  left  here,  although, 
of  course,  I  was  not  travelling  all  the  time." 

"I  suppose  nobody  has  told  you,"  said  Miss  Shott, 
"that  Edward  Darley  has  ploughed  up  that  little 
pasture  of  his,  and  planted  it  with  young  apple-trees. 
Now,  it  does  seem  to  me  that  for  a  man  like  Edward 
Darley,  who  comes  of  a  consumptive  family,  and  who 
has  been  coughing  regularly,  to  my  certain  knowledge, 
for  more  than  a  year,  to  go  and  plant  apple-trees, 
which  he  can't  expect  to  live  to  see  bear  fruit,  is 
nothing  more  or  less  than  a  wicked  waste  of  money, 
time,  and  labor.  I  suppose  if  I  was  to  go  and  tell  him 
so,  he  would  not  like  that.  But  I  do  not  know  as  I 
ought  to  consider  it.  There  are  people  in  this  world 
who  never  know  anything  if  they're  not  told  ! " 

Five  other  topics  of  the  town,  each  of  a  doleful 
nature,  and  each  indicating  an  evident  depravity  in  a 
citizen  of  Plainton,  were  related  by  Miss  Shott,  and 
then  she  arose  to  go. 

"I  hope  you'll  remember  what  I  told  you  about 
Thompson's  children,"  she  said,  as  she  walked  to  the 
front  door,  "and  if  I  was  you,  I'd  have  that  kitchen 
fumigated  after  he  has  put  the  door  in  ! " 

"There,  now!"  said  Miss  Shott  to  herself,  as  she 
proudly  walked  down  the  street.  "The  Widow  Cliff 
can't  say  I've  done  any  toadying,  and  no  matter 
what  she's  got,  and  what  she  hasn't  got,  she  can't  say 
to  herself  that  I  consider  her  any  better  able  to  give 
me  twenty-five  cents  than  she  was  when  she  was  here 
before,  or  that  it  makes  any  difference  to  me  whether 
she  has  much  or  little  ! " 

27 


CHAPTER  IV 

A  LAUNCH  INTO  A  NEW  LIFE 

IT  required  the  greater  part  of  two  days  for  Mrs.  Cliff 
and  Willy  to  open  the  seven  trunks  and  properly 
display  and  dispose  of  the  various  articles  and  goods, 
astonishing  in  their  variety  and  beauty,  and  absolutely 
amazing  when  the  difference  between  the  price  paid 
for  them  and  what  they  would  have  cost  in  New  York 
was  considered. 

During  these  fascinating  operations  it  so  happened 
that,  at  one  time  or  another,  nearly  all  of  Mrs.  Cliff's 
female  friends  dropped  in,  and  all  were  wonderfully 
impressed  by  what  they  saw  and  what  they  heard. 
But  although  Miss  Shott  did  not  come  there  during 
the  grand  opening,  it  was  not  long  before  she  knew 
the  price,  and  something  of  the  general  appearance,  of 
nearly  everything  that  Mrs.  Cliff  had  brought  with 
her. 

Among  the  contents  of  the  trunks  were  a  great 
many  presents  for  Mrs.  Cliff's  friends,  and  whenever 
Miss  Shott  heard  of  one  of  these  gifts,  she  made  a 
remark  to  the  effect  that  she  had  not  a  doubt  in  the 
world  that  the  Widow  Cliff  knew  better  than  to  bring 
her  a  present,  for  she  would  not  want  the  thing,  what- 

28 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

ever  it  was,  whether  a  glass  pitcher  or  a  pin-cushion, 
flung  back  at  her  after  the  fashion  that  she  had  set 
herself  at  a  time  when  everybody  was  trying  their 
best  to  be  kind  to  her. 

It  was  clearly  a  fact  that  through  the  influence  of 
the  seven  trunks  Mrs.  Cliff  was  becoming  a  very  popu 
lar  woman,  and  Miss  Shott  did  not  like  it  at  all.  She 
had  never  had  any  faith— at  least,  she  said  so— in  those 
lumps  of  gold  found  in  a  hole  in  some  part  of  the 
world  that  nobody  had  ever  heard  of,  and  had  not 
hesitated  to  say  that  fortunes  founded  on  such  wild- 
goose  stories  as  these  should  not  even  be  considered 
by  people  of  good  sense  who  worked  for  their  living, 
or  had  incomes  which  they  could  depend  on.  But  the 
dress-goods,  the  ribbons,  the  gloves,  the  little  clocks, 
the  shoes,  the  parasols,  the  breast-pins,  the  portfolios 
of  pictures,  the  jewelry,  the  rugs  and  table-covers,  and 
hundreds  of  other  beautiful  and  foreign  things,  were 
a  substantial  evidence  that  Mrs.  Cliffs  money  was  not 
all  moonshine. 

It  was  very  pleasant  for  Mrs.  Cliff  to  bring  out  her 
treasures  to  display  them  to  her  enthusiastic  friends, 
and  to  arrange  them  in  her  house,  and  to  behold  the 
rapturous  delight  of  Willy  Croup  from  early  morn 
until  bedtime. 

But  the  seven  empty  trunks  had  been  carried  up 
into  the  garret,  and  now  Mrs.  Cliff  set  her  mind  to  the 
solution  of  the  question :  How  was  she  to  begin  her 
new  life  in  her  old  home  ?  It  must  be  a  new  life,  for 
to  live  as  she  had  lived  even  in  the  days  of  her  highest 
prosperity  during  her  husband's  life  would  be  absurd 
and  even  wicked.  With  such  an  income  she  must 
endeavor,  as  far  as  was  possible  to  her,  to  live  in  a 

29 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

manner  worthy  of  it.  But  one  thing  she  was  deter 
mined  npon :  she  would  not  alienate  her  friends  by 
climbing  to  the  top  of  her  money  and  looking  down 
upon  them.  None  of  them  knew  how  high  she  would 
be  if  she  were  to  perch  herself  on  the  very  top  of  that 
money,  but  even  if  she  climbed  up  a  little  way,  they 
might  still  feel  that  they  were  very  small  in  her  sight. 

No,  the  money  should  always  be  kept  in  the  back 
ground.  It  might  be  as  high  as  the  sky  and  as  glorious 
as  a  sunset,  but  she  would  be  on  the  ground  with  the 
people  of  Plainton,  and,  as  far  as  was  possible,  they 
should  all  enjoy  the  fine  weather  together. 

She  could  not  repress  a  feeling  of  pride,  for  she 
would  be  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  principal  persons 
— if  not  the  principal  person— in  Plainton.  But  she 
could  not  believe  that  any  real  friend  could  possibly 
object  to  that. 

If  her  husband  had  lived  and  prospered,  it  was 
probable  he  would  have  been  the  principal  man  in 
Plainton,  the  minister  always  excepted.  But  now 
there  was  no  reason  whatever  why  any  one  should 
object  to  her  being  a  principal  personage,  and,  in  this 
case,  she  could  not  see  why  the  minister's  wife  should 
be  excepted. 

But  Plainton  was  to  be  her  home,  and  the  Plainton 
people  were  to  be  her  friends.  How  should  she  set 
about  using  her  money  in  such  a  way  that  she  should 
not  be  driven  forth  to  some  large  city  to  live  as  ordi 
nary  wealthy  people  live,  in  a  fashion  to  which  she 
was  utterly  unsuited,  and  which  possessed  for  her  no 
attractions  whatever? 

Of  course,  she  had  early  determined  to  devote  a 
large  sum  to  charitable  purposes,  for  she  would  have 

30 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

thought  herself  a  very  unworthy  woman  if  her  wealth 
had  not  benefited  others  than  herself.  But  this  was 
an  easy  matter  to  attend  to.  The  amount  she  had  set 
aside  for  charity  was  not  permanently  invested,  and 
through  the  advice  of  Mr.  Perley,  there  would  be  no 
difficulty  in  devoting  this  to  suitable  objects.  Already 
she  had  confidentially  spoken  to  her  pastor  on  the  sub 
ject,  and  had  found  him  enthusiastic  in  his  desire  to 
help  her  in  every  possible  way  in  her  benevolent  pur 
poses.  But  who  was  there  who  could  help  her  in 
regard  to  herself?  Who  was  there  who  could  tell  her 
how  she  ought  to  live  so  as  to  gain  all  the  good  that 
her  money  should  give  her,  and  yet  not  lose  that  which 
was  to  her  the  highest  object  of  material  existence— 
a  happy  and  prosperous  life  among  her  old  friends  in 
her  native  town? 

Should  she  choose  to  elevate  herself  in  the  social 
circle  by  living  as  ordinary  very  rich  people  live,  she 
could  not  hope  to  elevate  her  friends  in  that  way, 
although  she  would  be  glad  enough  to  do  it  in  many 
cases,  and  there  would  be  a  gap  between  them  which 
would  surely  grow  wider  and  wider.  And  yet,  here 
was  this  money  coming  in  upon  her  in  a  steady  stream 
day  by  day,  and  how  was  she  going  to  make  herself 
happier  with  it? 

She  must  do  that,  or,  she  believed,  it  would  be  her 
duty  to  hand  it  over  to  somebody  else  who  was  better 
adapted  by  nature  to  use  it. 

"If  I  did  not  take  so  much  pleasure  in  things  which 
cost  so  little  and  which  are  so  easy  for  me  to  buy," 
said  poor  Mrs.  Cliff  to  herself,  "or  if  I  did  not  have  so 
much  money,  I  am  sure  I  should  get  on  a  great  deal 
better." 

31 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Mrs.  Cliff's  belief  that  she  must  not  long  delay  in 
selecting  some  sort  of  station  in  life,  and  endeavoring 
to  live  up  to  it,  was  soon  strengthened  by  Willy 
Cronp.  During  the  time  of  the  trunk-opening,  and 
for  some  days  afterwards,  when  all  her  leisure  hours 
were  occupied  with  the  contemplation  and  considera 
tion  of  her  own  presents,  Willy  had  been  perfectly 
contented  to  let  things  go  on  in  the  old  way,  or  any 
way.  But  now  the  incongruity  of  Mrs.  Cliff's  present 
mode  of  living,  and  the  probable  amount  of  her  for 
tune,  began  to  impress  itself  upon  her. 

"It  does  seem  to  me,"  said  she,  "that  it's  a  sin  and 
a  shame  that  you  should  be  goin'  about  this  house  just 
as  you  used  to  do,  helpin'  me  up-stairs  and  down-stairs, 
as  if  you  couldn't  afford  to  hire  nobody.  You  ought 
to  have  a  girl,  and  a  good  one,  and,  for  the  matter  of 
that,  you  might  have  two  of  'em,  I  suppose.  And  even 
if  it  wasn't  too  much  for  you  to  be  workin'  about  when 
there's  no  necessity  for  it,  the  people  are  beginnin'  to 
talk,  and  that  ought  to  be  stopped." 

"What  are  they  talking  about?"  asked  Mrs.  Cliff. 

"Well,  it's  not  everybody  that's  talkin',"  returned 
Willy,  "and  I  guess  that  them  that  does  gets  their  opin 
ions  from  one  quarter,  but  I've  heard  people  say  that 
it's  pretty  plain  that  all  you  got  out  of  that  gold-mine 
you  spent  in  buyin'  the  things  you  brought  home  in 
your  trunks,  for  if  you  didn't,  you  wouldn't  be  livin' 
like  this,  helpin'  to  do  your  own  housework  and 
cookin'." 

In  consequence  of  this  conversation,  a  servant  of 
all  work  was  employed,  for  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  know 
what  she  would  do  with  two  women  until  she  had 
made  a  change  in  her  household  arrangements ;  and 

32 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

with  this  as  a  beginning,  our  good  widow  determined 
to  start  out  on  her  career  as  a  rich  woman  who  in 
tended  to  enjoy  herself  in  the  fashion  she  liked 
best. 

She  sent  for  Mr.  Thompson,  the  carpenter,  and  con 
sulted  with  him  in  regard  to  the  proposed  additions 
to  her  house.  But  when  she  had  talked  for  a  time,  she 
became  disheartened.  She  found  that  it  would  be 
necessary  to  dig  a  new  cellar  close  to  her  present 
premises,  that  there  would  be  stones,  and  gravel,  and 
lime,  and  sand,  and  carts  and  horses,  and  men,  and 
dirt,  and  that  it  would  be  some  months  before  all  the 
hammering,  and  the  sawing,  and  the  planing,  and  the 
plastering,  and  tinwork  could  be  finished,  and  all  this 
would  be  going  on  under  her  eye,  and  close  to  her 
ears,  during  those  first  months  in  which  she  had  pro 
posed  to  be  so  happy  in  her  home.  She  could  not 
bear  to  give  the  word  to  dig,  and  pound,  and  saw.  It 
was  not  like  building  a  new  house,  for  that  would  not 
be  near  her,  and  the  hubbub  of  its  construction  would 
not  annoy  her. 

So  she  determined  she  would  not  begin  a  new 
dining-room  at  present.  She  would  wait  a  little  while, 
until  she  had  had  some  good  of  her  house  as  it  was, 
and  then  she  would  feel  better  satisfied  to  live  in  the 
midst  of  pounding,  banging,  and  all-pervading  dust. 
But  she  would  do  something.  She  would  have  the 
fence  which  separated  the  sidewalk  from  her  front 
yard  newly  painted.  She  had  long  wanted  to  have 
that  done,  but  had  not  been  able  to  afford  it. 

But  when  Mr.  Thompson  went  to  look  at  the  fence, 
he  told  her  that  it  would  be  really  a  waste  of  money 
to  paint  it,  for  in  many  places  it  was  old  and  decayed, 

33 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

and  it  would  be  mucli  wiser  to  put  up  a  new  one,  and 
paint  that. 

Again  Mrs.  Cliff  hesitated.  If  that  fence  had  to  be 
taken  down,  and  the  posts  dug  up,  and  new  posts  put 
in,  and  the  flower-bed  which  ran  along  the  inside  of 
it  destroyed,  it  would  be  just  as  well  to  wait  until  the 
other  work  began,  and  have  it  all  done  at  once.  So 
she  told  Mr.  Thompson  he  need  not  send  a  painter, 
for  she  would  make  the  old  fence  do  for  a  while. 

Mrs.  Cliff  sighed  a  little  as  the  carpenter  walked 
away,  but  there  were  other  things  to  do.  There  was 
the  pasture-lot  at  the  rear  of  her  garden,  and  she  could 
have  a  cow,  and  there  was  the  little  barn,  and  she 
could  have  a  horse.  The  idea  of  the  horse  pleased  her 
more  than  anything  she  had  yet  thought  of  in  connec 
tion  with  her  wealth. 

In  her  days  of  prosperity  it  had  been  her  greatest 
pleasure  to  drive  in  her  phaeton  with  her  good  brown 
horse,  generally  with  Willy  Croup  by  her  side,  to  stop 
at  shops  or  to  make  calls  upon  friends,  and  to  make 
those  little  excursions  into  the  surrounding  country  in 
which  she  and  Willy  both  delighted.  They  had  some 
times  gone  a  long  distance,  and  had  taken  their  dinner 
with  them,  and  Willy  was  really  very  good  in  unhar 
nessing  the  horse  and  watering  him  at  a  brook,  and  in 
giving  him  some  oats. 

To  return  to  these  old  joys  was  a  delightful  prospect, 
and  Mrs.  Cliff  made  inquiries  about  her  horse,  which 
had  been  sold  in  the  town.  But  he  was  gone.  He  had 
been  sold  to  a  drover,  and  his  whereabouts  no  one 
knew. 

So  she  went  to  Mr.  Williams,  the  keeper  of  the 
hotel,  who  knew  more  about  horses  than  anybody 

34 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

else,  and  consulted  with  him  on  the  subject  of  a  new 
steed.  She  told  him  just  what  she  wanted  :  a  gentle 
horse  which  she  could  drive  herself,  and  one  which 
Willy  could  hold  when  she  went  into  a  house  or  a 
shop. 

Now,  it  so  happened  that  Mr.  Williams  had  just 
such  a  horse,  and  when  Mrs.  Cliff  had  seen  it,  and 
when  Willy  had  come  up  to  look  at  it,  and  when  the 
matter  had  been  talked  about  in  all  the  aspects  in 
which  it  presented  itself  to  Mrs.  Cliff's  mind,  she 
bought  the  animal,  and  it  was  taken  to  her  stable, 
where  Andrew  Marks,  a  neighbor,  was  engaged  to 
take  care  of  it. 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  took  a  drive 
a  little  way  out  of  town,  and  they  both  agreed  that 
this  horse,  which  was  gray,  was  a  great  deal  better 
traveller  than  the  old  brown,  and  a  much  handsomer 
animal ;  but  both  of  them  also  agreed  that  they  did 
not  believe  that  they  would  ever  learn  to  love  him  as 
they  had  their  old  horse. 

Still,  he  was  very  easy  to  drive,  and  he  went  along 
so  pleasantly,  without  needing  the  whip  in  the  least, 
that  Mrs.  Cliff  said  to  herself  that,  for  the  first  time 
since  her  return,  she  really  felt  herself  a  rich  woman. 

"If  everything,"  she  thought,  "should  come  to  me 
as  this  horse  came  to  me,  how  delightful  my  life 
would  be  !  When  I  wanted  him,  I  found  him.  I  did 
not  have  to  trouble  myself  in  the  least  about  the  price. 
I  simply  paid  it,  and  ordered  him  sent  home.  Now, 
that  sort  of  thing  is  what  makes  a  person  feel  truly 
rich.'7 

When  they  had  gone  far  enough,  and  had  reached 
a  wide  place  in  the  road,  Mrs.  Cliff  turned  and  started 

35 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

back  to  Plainton.  But  now  the  horse  began  to  be  a 
different  kind  of  a  horse.  With  his  face  toward  his 
home,  he  set  out  to  trot  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  when 
Mrs.  Cliff,  not  liking  such  a  rapid  pace,  endeavored 
to  pull  him  in,  she  found  it  very  hard  to  do,  and  when 
she  began  to  saw  his  mouth,  thinking  that  would 
restrain  his  ardor,  he  ambled  and  capered,  and  Mrs. 
Cliff  was  obliged  to  let  him  resume  his  rapid  gait. 

He  was  certainly  a  very  hard-mouthed  horse  going 
home,  and  Mrs.  Cliff's  arms  ached,  and  Willy  Croup's 
heart  quaked,  long  before  they  reached  the  town. 
When  they  reached  Plainton,  Mrs.  Cliff  began  to  be 
afraid  that  he  would  gallop  through  the  streets,  and 
she  told  Willy  that,  if  he  did,  she  must  not  scream,  but 
must  sit  quietly,  and  she  would  endeavor  to  steer  him 
clear  of  the  vehicles  and  people. 

But  although  he  did  not  gallop,  the  ardent  gray 
seemed  to  travel  faster  after  he  entered  the  town,  and 
Mrs.  Cliff,  who  was  getting  very  red  in  the  face  from 
her  steady  tugging  at  the  reins,  thought  it  wise  not  to 
attempt  to  go  home,  but  to  let  her  horse  go  straight 
to  the  hotel  stables  where  he  had  lived. 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  had  declared  to  Mr.  Williams  that 
that  horse  would  never  suit  her,  that  she  would  not  be 
willing  to  drive  it,  and  would  not  even  think  of  going 
into  a  house  and  leaving  Willy  Croup  to  hold  him,  he 
was  very  much  surprised,  and  said  that  he  had  not  a 
gentler  horse  in  his  stable,  and  he  did  not  believe 
there  was  one  in  the  town. 

"All  horses,"  said  he,  "want  to  go  home,  especially 
at  dinner-time." 

"But  the  old  brown  did  not,"  urged  Mrs.  Cliff. 
"That  is  the  sort  of  horse  I  want." 

36 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

"Some  very  old  beast  might  please  you  better,"  said 
he,  "but  really,  Mrs.  Cliff,  that  is  not  the  sort  of  horse 
you  should  have.  He  would  die  or  break  down  in  a 
little  while,  and  then  you  would  have  to  get  another. 
What  you  should  do  is  to  have  a  good  horse  and  a 
driver.  You  might  get  a  two-seated  carriage,  either 
open  or  closed,  and  go  anywhere  and  everywhere,  and 
never  think  of  the  horse." 

That  was  not  the  thing  she  longed  for.  That  would 
not  bring  back  the  happy  days  when  she  drove  the 
brown  through  the  verdant  lanes.  If  she  must  have 
a  driver,  she  might  as  well  hire  a  cab  and  be  driven 
about.  But  she  told  Mr.  Williams  to  get  her  a  suitable 
vehicle,  and  she  would  have  Andrew  Marks  to  drive 
her,  and  she  and  Willy  Croup  walked  sadly  home. 

As  to  the  cow  she  succeeded  better.  She  bought  a 
fairly  good  one,  and  Willy  undertook  to  milk  her  and 
to  make  butter. 

"Now,  what  have  I  done  so  far  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  on 
the  evening  of  the  day  when  the  cow  came  home.  "I 
have  a  woman  to  cook,  I  have  a  new  kitchen  door, 
and  I  have  a  cow  !  I  do  not  count  the  horse  and  the 
wagon,  for  if  I  do  not  drive  myself,  I  shall  not  feel 
that  they  are  mine  in  the  way  that  I  want  them 
to  be." 


37 


CHAPTER  V 

A  FUR-TRIMMED  OVERCOAT  AND  A  SILK  HAT 

MRS.  CLIFF  now  began  to  try  very  hard  to  live  as  she 
ought  to  live,  without  pretensions  or  snobbery,  but  in 
a  style  becoming,  in  some  degree,  her  great  fortune. 

There  was  one  thing  she  determined  to  do  immedi 
ately,  and  that  was  to  begin  a  series  of  hospitalities 
—and  it  made  her  feel  proud  to  think  that  she  could 
do  this,  and  do  it  handsomely,  and  yet  do  it  in  the  old 
home  where  everybody  knew  she  had  for  years  been 
obliged  to  practise  the  strictest  economy. 

She  gave  a  dinner  to  which  she  invited  her  most 
select  friends.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perley  were  there,  and 
the  Misses  Thorpdyke,  two  maiden  ladies  who  consti 
tuted  the  family  of  the  highest  social  pretension  of 
Plainton.  There  were  other  people  who  were  richer, 
but  Miss  Eleanor  Thorpdyke,  now  a  lady  of  nearly 
seventy,  and  her  sister  Barbara,  some  ten  years 
younger,  belonged  to  the  very  best  family  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  and  were  truly  the  aristocrats  of 
the  place. 

But  they  had  always  been  very  friendly  with  Mrs. 
Cliff,  and  they  were  glad  to  come  to  her  dinner.  The 
other  guests  were  all  good  people,  and  a  dinner-party 

38 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

of  more  distinction  could  not  have  been  collected  in 
that  town. 

But  this  dinner  did  not  go  off  altogether  smoothly. 
If  the  people  had  come  merely  to  eat,  they  must  have 
been  abundantly  satisfied,  for  everything  was  of  the 
very  best  and  well  cooked,  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  having 
seen  to  that.  But  there  were  certain  roughnesses  and 
hitches  in  the  management  of  the  dinner  which  dis 
turbed  Mrs.  Cliff.  In  her  travels  and  at  the  hotels 
where  she  had  lived  she  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  good 
service,  and  she  knew  what  it  was. 

"Willy,  who,  being  a  relative,  should  really  have 
come  to  the  table,  had  decidedly  declined  to  do  so, 
and  had  taken  upon  herself  the  principal  part  of  the 
waiting,  assisted  by  the  general  servant  and  a  small 
girl  who  had  been  called  in.  But  the  dining-room 
was  very  small,  some  of  the  chairs  were  but  a  little 
distance  from  the  wall,  and  it  was  evident  that  Willy 
had  not  a  true  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  in  recent 
years  she  had  grown  considerably  rounder  and  plumper 
than  she  used  to  be,  and  it  made  Mrs.  Cliff's  blood  run 
cold  to  see  how  she  bumped  the  back  of  Mr.  Perley's 
chair,  as  she  thrust  herself  between  it  and  the  wall. 

The  small  girl  had  to  be  told  almost  everything 
that  she  must  do,  and  the  general  servant,  who  did 
not  like  to  wait  on  table,  only  came  in  when  she  was 
called,  and  left  immediately  when  she  had  done  what 
she  had  been  called  for. 

When  the  guests  had  gone,  Mrs.  Cliff  declared  to 
Willy  that  that  was  the  last  large  dinner  she  would 
give  in  that  house.  "It  was  not  a  dinner  which  a 
woman  of  my  means  should  offer  to  her  friends." 

Willy  was  amazed. 

39 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

"I  don't  see  how  it  could  have  been  better,"  said 
she,  "unless  you  had  champagne,  and  I  know  Mr. 
Perley  wouldn't  have  liked  that.  Everything  on  the 
table  was  just  as  good  as  it  could  be." 

But  Mrs.  Cliff  shook  her  head.  She  knew  that  she 
had  attempted  something  for  which  her  present 
resources  were  insufficient.  After  this  she  invited 
people  to  dinner  once  or  twice  a  week,  but  the  com 
pany  was  always  very  small  and  suited  to  the  re 
sources  of  the  house. 

"I  will  go  on  this  way  for  a  while,"  thought  the 
good  lady,  "and  after  a  time  I  will  begin  to  spread 
out  and  do  things  in  a  different  style." 

Several  times  she  drove  over  to  Harrington,  a  large 
town  some  five  miles  away,  which  contained  a  furni 
ture  factory,  and  there  she  purchased  many  articles 
which  would  be  suitable  for  the  house,  always  securing 
the  best  things  for  her  purposes,  but  frequently  regret 
ting  that  certain  beautiful  and  imposing  pieces  of 
furniture  were  entirely  unsuited  to  the  capacity  of 
her  rooms  and  hallways.  But  when  her  dining-room 
should  be  finished,  and  the  room  above  it,  she  would 
have  better  opportunity  of  gratifying  her  taste  for 
handsome  wood  in  imposing  designs.  Then  it  might 
be  that  Harrington  would  not  be  able  to  give  her 
anything  good  enough. 

Her  daily  mail  was  now  much  larger  than  it  ever 
had  been  before.  Business  people  sent  her  cards  and 
circulars,  and  every  now  and  then  she  received  letters 
calling  her  attention  to  charities  or  pressing  personal 
needs  of  the  writers  ;  but  there  were  not  very  many  of 
these,  for  although  it  was  generally  known  that  Mrs. 
Cliff  had  come  into  a  fortune,  her  manner  of  living 

40 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

seemed  also  a  matter  of  public  knowledge.  Even  the 
begging  letters  were  couched  in  very  moderate  terms ; 
but  all  these  Mrs.  Cliff  took  to  Mr.  Perley,  and,  by  his 
advice,  she  paid  attention  to  but  very  few  of  them. 

Day  by  day  Mrs.  Cliff  endeavored  to  so  shape  and 
direct  her  fortunes  that  they  might  make  her  happy 
in  the  only  ways  in  which  she  could  be  happy,  but 
her  efforts  to  do  so  did  not  always  gain  for  her  the 
approval  of  her  fellow-townspeople.  There  were 
some  who  thought  that  a  woman  who  professed  to 
have  command  of  money  should  do  a  good  many 
things  which  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  do,  and  there  were 
others  who  did  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  a  woman 
who  lived  as  Mrs.  Cliff  lived  should  not  do  a  great 
many  things  which  she  did  do,  among  which  things 
some  people  included  the  keeping  of  a  horse  and 
carriage. 

It  was  conceded,  of  course,  that  all  this  was  Mrs. 
CliiFs  own  business.  She  had  paid  the  money  she  had 
borrowed  to  go  to  South  America.  She  had  been  very 
kind  to  some  of  the  poor  people  of  the  town,  and  it 
was  thought  by  some  had  been  foolishly  munificent  to 
old  Mrs.  Bradley,  who,  from  being  a  very  poor  person 
threatened  with  the  loss  of  her  home,  was  now  an 
independent  householder,  and  enjoyed  an  annuity 
sufficient  to  support  her. 

More  than  that,  Mrs.  Cliff  had  been  very  generous 
in  regard  to  the  church  music.  It  was  not  known 
exactly  how  much  she  had  given  toward  this  object, 
but  there  were  those  who  said  that  she  must  have 
given  her  means  a  considerable  strain  when  she  made 
her  contribution— that  is,  if  the  things  were  to  be 
done  which  Mr.  Perley  talked  about. 

41 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  heard  what  had  been  said  upon  this 
subject,— and  Willy  Croup  was  generally  very  well 
able  to  keep  her  informed  in  regard  to  what  the 
people  of  the  town  said  abont  her,— she  thought  that 
the  gossips  would  have  been  a  good  deal  astonished 
if  they  had  known  how  much  she  had  really  given  to 
the  church,  and  that  they  would  have  been  absolutely 
amazed  if  they  knew  how  much  Mr.  Perley  had  re 
ceived  for  general  charities.  And  then  she  thought, 
with  a  tinge  of  sadness,  how  very  much  surprised  Mr. 
Perley  would  have  been  if  he  had  known  how  much 
more  she  was  able  to  give  away  without  feeling  its  loss. 

Weeks  passed  on.  The  leaves  turned  red  and  yellow 
upon  the  trees,  the  evenings  and  mornings  grew  colder 
and  colder,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  did  everything  she  could 
toward  the  accomplishment  of  what  now  appeared  to 
her  in  the  light  of  a  great  duty  in  her  life— the  proper 
expenditure  of  her  income  and  appropriation  of  her 
great  fortune. 

Her  labors  were  not  becoming  more  cheerful.  Day 
after  day  she  said  to  herself  that  she  was  not  doing 
what  she  ought  to  do,  and  that  it  was  full  time  that 
she  should  begin  to  do  something  better,  but  what  that 
better  thing  was  she  could  not  make  up  her  mind. 
Even  the  improvements  she  contemplated  were, 
after  all,  such  mere  trifles ! 

It  was  a  very  cold  morning  in  October  when  Mrs. 
Cliff  went  into  her  parlor  and  said  to  Willy  that  there 
was  one  thing  she  could  do  :  she  could  have  a  rousing, 
comfortable  fire  without  thinking  whether  wood  was 
five,  ten,  or  twenty  dollars  per  cord.  When  Willy 
found  that  Mrs.  Cliff  wanted  to  make  herself  comfort 
able  before  a  fine,  blazing  fire,  she  seemed  in  doubt. 

42 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"I  don't  know  about  the  safety  of  it,"  she  said. 
"That  chimney's  in  a  pretty  bad  condition.  The 
masons  told  us  so  years  ago,  and  nothin'  has  ever 
been  done  to  it.  There  have  been  fires  in  it,  but 
they  have  been  little  ones ;  and  if  I  was  you,  I 
wouldn't  have  too  large  a  blaze  in  that  fireplace  until 
the  chimney  has  been  made  all  right." 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  annoyed.  "Well,  then,  Willy,  I  wish 
you  would  go  for  the  mason  immediately,  and  tell  him 
to  come  here  and  repair  the  chimney.  It's  perfectly 
ridiculous  that  I  can't  have  a  fire  in  my  own  parlor, 
when  I  am  able  to  have  a  chimney  as  high  and  as  big 
as  Bunker  Hill  Monument  if  I  wanted  it ! " 

Willy  Croup  smiled.  She  did  not  believe  that  Mrs 
Cliff  really  knew  how  much  such  a  chimney  would 
cost,  but  she  said,  "You  have  got  to  remember,  you 
know,  that  we  can't  have  the  Cuthberts  here  to  dinner 
to-morrow  if  the  masons  come  to  work  at  that  chim 
ney.  Ten  to  one,  they  will  have  to  take  the  most  part 
of  it  down,  and  we  shall  be  in  a  general  mess  here  for 
a  week." 

Mrs.  Cliff  sat  down  with  a  sigh.  "You  need  not 
mind  to  have  the  wood  brought  in,"  she  said.  "Just 
give  me  a  few  sticks  and  some  kindling,  so  that  I  can 
give  things  a  little  air  of  cheerfulness." 

As  she  sat  before  the  gently  blazing  little  fire,  Mrs. 
Cliff  felt  that  things  needed  an  air  of  cheerfulness. 
She  had  that  morning  been  making  calculations,  and, 
notwithstanding  all  she  had  bought,  all  she  had  done, 
and  even  including  with  the  most  generous  margin  all 
she  had  planned  to  do,  her  income  was  gaining  upon 
her  in  a  most  discouraging  way. 

"I  am  not  fit  for  it,"  she  said  to  herself.  "I  don't 
43 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

know  how  to  live  as  I  want  to  live,  and  I  won't  live 
as  I  don't  want  to  live.  The  whole  business  is  too 
big  for  me.  I  don't  know  how  to  manage  it.  I  ought 
to  give  up  my  means  to  somebody  who  knows  how  to 
use  them,  and  stay  here  myself  with  just  enough  money 
to  make  me  happy." 

For  the  fortieth  time  she  considered  the  question  of 
laying  all  her  troubles  before  Mr.  Perley,  but  she  knew 
her  pastor.  The  great  mass  of  her  fortune  would 
quickly  be  swallowed  up  in  some  grand  missionary 
enterprise,  and  this  would  not  suit  Mrs.  Cliff.  No 
matter  how  much  she  was  discouraged,  no  matter  how 
difficult  it  was  to  see  her  way  before  her,  no  matter 
how  great  a  load  she  felt  her  wealth  to  be,  there  was 
always  before  her  a  glimmering  sense  of  grand  possi 
bilities.  What  they  were  she  could  not  now  see  or 
understand,  but  she  would  not  willingly  give  them  up. 

She  was  an  elderly  woman,  but  she  came  of  a  long- 
lived  family,  all  of  whom  had  lived  in  good  health 
until  the  end  of  their  days,  and  if  there  was  any  grand, 
golden  felicity  which  was  possible  to  her,  she  felt  that 
there  was  reason  to  believe  she  would  live  long  to 
enjoy  it  when  she  wanted  it. 

One  morning,  as  Mrs.  Cliff  sat  thinking  over  these 
things,  there  was  a  knock  at  the  front  door,  and,  of 
course,  Willy  Croup  ran  to  open  it.  No  matter  where 
she  was,  or  no  matter  what  she  was  doing,  Willy  al 
ways  went  to  the  door  if  she  could,  because  she  had  so 
great  a  desire  to  know  who  was  there. 

This  time  it  was  a  gentleman,  a  very  fine  gentleman, 
with  a  high  silk  hat  and  a  handsome  overcoat  trimmed 
with  fur— fur  on  the  collar,  fur  on  the  sleeves,  and  fur 
down  the  front.  Willy  had  never  seen  such  a  coat. 

44 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 

It  was  October  and  it  was  cool,  but  there  was  no  man 
in  Plainton  who  would  have  worn  such  a  coat  as  that 
so  early  in  the  season,  even  if  he  had  one. 

The  gentleman  had  dark  eyes  and  a  very  large  mus 
tache,  and  he  carried  a  cane  and  wore  rather  bright 
tan-colored  gloves.  All  these  things  Willy  observed 
in  an  instant,  for  she  was  very  quick  in  taking  notice 
of  people's  clothes  and  general  appearance. 

The  gentleman  raised  his  hat  and  asked  if  Mrs.  Cliff 
lived  there.  Now  Willy  thought  he  must  be  an  ex 
traordinary  fine  gentleman,  for  how  should  he  know 
that  she  was  not  a  servant,  and  in  those  parts  gentle 
men  did  not  generally  raise  their  hats  to  girls  who 
opened  front  doors. 

The  gentleman  was  admitted,  and  was  ushered  into 
the  parlor,  where  sat  Mrs.  Cliff.  She  was  a  little  sur 
prised  at  the  sight  of  this  visitor,  who  came  in  with 
his  hat  on,  but  who  took  it  off  and  made  her  a  low  bow 
as  soon  as  he  saw  her.  But  she  thought  she  appre 
ciated  the  situation,  and  she  hardened  her  heart. 

A  strange  man,  so  finely  dressed,  and  with  such  man 
ners,  must  have  come  for  money,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  had 
already  learned  to  harden  her  heart  toward  strangers 
who  solicited.  But  the  hardness  of  her  heart  utterly 
disappeared  in  her  amazement  when  this  gentleman, 
having  pulled  off  his  right  glove,  advanced  toward 
her,  holding  out  his  hand. 

"You  don't  remember  me,  Mrs.  Cliff?  "  he  said  in  a 
loud,  clear  voice.  "No  wonder,  for  I  am  a  good  deal 
changed.  But  it  is  not  the  same  with  you.  You  are 
the  same  as  ever— I  declare  you  are  ! " 

Mrs.  Cliff  took  the  proffered  hand,  and  looked  into 
the  face  of  the  speaker.  There  was  something  there 

45 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

which  seemed  familiar,  but  she  had  never  known  such 
a  fine  gentleman  as  this.  She  thought  over  the  people 
whom  she  had  seen  in  France  and  in  California,  but 
she  could  not  recollect  this  face. 

"It's  a  mean  thing  to  be  puzzlin'  you,  Mrs.  Cliff," 
said  the  stranger,  with  a  cheery  smile.  "I'm  George 
Burke,  seaman  on  the  Castor,  where  I  saw  more  of  you, 
Mrs.  Cliff,  than  I've  ever  seen  since ;  for  though  we 
have  both  been  a  good  deal  jumbled  up  since,  we 
haven't  been  jumbled  up  together,  so  I  don't  wonder 
if  you  don't  remember  me,  especially  as  I  didn't  wear 
clothes  like  these  on  the  Castor— not  by  any  means, 
Mrs.  Cliff!" 

"I  remember  you,"  she  said,  and  she  shook  his  hand 
warmly.  "I  remember  you,  and  you  had  a  mate 
named  Edward  Shirley." 

"Yes,  indeed  ! "  said  Mr.  Burke,  "and  he's  all  right, 
and  I'm  all  right,  and  how  are  you  T  " 

The  overcoat  with  the  fur  trimmings  came  off,  and, 
with  the  hat,  the  cane,  and  the  gloves,  was  laid  upon 
a  chair,  and  Burke  and  Mrs.  Cliff  sat  down  to  talk 
over  old  times  and  old  friends. 


46 


CHAPTER  VI 

A    TEMPERANCE   LARK 

As  Mrs.  Cliff  sat  and  talked  with  George  Burke,  she 
forgot  the  calculations  she  had  been  making,  she  forgot 
her  perplexities  and  her  anxieties  concerning  the  rapid 
inroads  which  her  income  was  making  upon  her  ability 
to  dispose  of  it,  in  the  recollection  of  the  good-fellow 
ships  which  the  presence  of  her  companion  recalled. 

But  Mr.  Burke  could  give  her  no  recent  news  of 
Captain  Horn  and  Edna,  she  having  heard  from  them 
later  than  he  had,  and  the  only  one  of  the  people  of 
the  Castor  of  whom  he  could  tell  her  was  Edward 
Shirley,  who  had  gone  into  business. 

He  had  bought  a  share  in  a  shipyard,  and  as  he  was 
a  man  who  had  a  great  idea  about  the  lines  of  a  vessel, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  he  had  determined  to  put 
his  money  into  that  business.  He  was  a  long-headed 
fellow,  and  Burke  had  no  doubt  but  that  he  would 
soon  hear  of  some  fine  craft  coming  from  the  yard  of 
his  old  shipmate. 

"But  how  about  yourself,  Mr.  Burke?  I  want  to 
know  what  has  happened  to  you,  and  what  you  intend 
doing,  and  how  you  chanced  to  be  coming  this  way." 

"Oh,  I  will  tell  you  everything  that  has  happened 
to  me,"  said  Mr.  Burke,  "and  it  won't  take  long.  But 

47 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

first  let  me  ask  you  something,  Mrs.  Cliff/'  and  as  he 
spoke  he  quietly  rose  and  shut  the  parlor  door. 

"Now,  then,"  said  he,  as  he  seated  himself,  "we  have 
all  been  in  the  same  box,  or,  I  should  say,  in  the  same 
boxes  of  different  kinds,  and  although  I  may  not  have 
the  right  to  call  myself  a  friend,  I  am  just  as  friendly 
to  you  as  if  I  was,  and  feel  as  if  people  who  have  been 
through  what  we  have  ought  to  stand  by  each  other 
even  after  they've  got  through  their  hardest  rubs. 
Now,  Mrs.  Cliff,  has  anything  happened  to  you? 
Have  you  had  any  set-backs?  I  know  that  this  is  a 
mighty  queer  world,  and  that  even  the  richest  people 
can  often  come  down  with  a  sudden  thump,  just  as  if 
they  had  slipped  on  the  ice." 

Mrs.  Cliff  smiled.  "Nothing  has  happened  to  me," 
she  said.  "I  have  had  no  set-backs,  and  I  am  just  as 
rich  to-day— I  should  say  a  great  deal  richer  than  I 
was  on  the  day  when  Captain  Horn  made  the  division 
of  the  treasure.  But  I  know  very  well  why  you 
thought  something  had  happened  to  me.  You  did 
not  expect  to  find  me  living  in  this  little  house." 

"No,  by  the  Lord  Harry,  I  didn't ! "  exclaimed 
Burke,  slapping  his  knee.  "You  must  excuse  me, 
Mrs.  Cliff,  for  speaking  out  in  that  way,  but  really  I 
never  was  so  much  surprised  as  when  I  came  into 
your  front  yard.  I  thought  I  would  find  you  in  the 
finest  house  in  the  place  until  you  could  have  a  stately 
mansion  built  somewhere  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
where  there  would  be  room  enough  for  a  park.  But 
when  I  came  to  this  house,  I  couldn't  help  thinking 
that  perhaps  some  beastly  bank  had  broke,  and  that 
your  share  of  the  golden  business,  had  been  swept 
away.  Things  like  that  do  happen  to  women,  you 

48 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

know,  and  I  suppose  they  always  will.     But  I  am 
mighty  glad  to  hear  you  are  sill  right! 

"But,  as  you  have  asked  me  to  tell  you  my  story,  I 
will  make  short  work  of  it,  and  then  I  would  like  to 
hear  what  has  happened  to  you,  as  much  as  you  please 
to  tell  me  about  it. 

"Now,  when  I  got  my  money,  Mrs.  Cliff,  which,  when 
compared  to  what  your  share  must  have  been,  was  like 
a  dory  to  a  three-mast  schooner,  but  still  quite  enough 
for  me,  and  perhaps  more  than  enough  if  a  public 
vote  could  be  taken  on  the  subject,  I  was  in  Paris,— a 
jolly  place  for  a  rich  sailor,— and  I  said  to  myself: 

"'Now,  Mr.  Burke/  said  I,  for  I  might  as  well  begin 
by  using  good  manners,  'the  general  disposition  of  a 
seafaring  man  with  a  lot  of  money  is  to  go  on  a  lark, 
or  perhaps  a  good  many  larks,  and  so  get  rid  of  it, 
and  then  ship  again  before  the  mast  for  fourteen  dol 
lars  per  month,  or  thereabouts.' 

"But  I  made  up  my  mind  right  there  on  the  spot 
that  that  sort  of  thing  wouldn't  suit  me.  The  very 
idea  of  shipping  again  on  a  merchant- vessel  made  the 
blood  run  cold  inside  of  me,  and  I  swore  to  myself 
that  I  wouldn't  do  it. 

"To  be  sure,  I  wouldn't  give  up  all  notion  of  a  lark. 
A  sailor  with  money— and  I  don't  believe  there  ever 
was  an  able-bodied  seaman  with  more  money  than  I 
had— who  doesn't  lark,  at  least  to  some  degree,  has 
no  right  to  call  himself  a  whole-souled  mariner.  So  I 
made  up  my  mind  to  have  one  lark,  and  then  stop." 

Mrs.  Cliff's  countenance  clouded.  "I  am  sorry,  Mr. 
Burke,"  said  she,  "that  you  thought  it  necessary  to  do 
that,  I  do  hope  you  didn't  go  on  one  of  those  hor 
rible—sprees,  do  they  call  them?" 

49 


MRS.    CLIFFS   YACHT 

"Oh,  no  ! "  interrupted  Burke,  "I  didn't  do  anything 
of  that  kind.  If  I'd  begun  with  a  bottle,  I'd  have 
ended  with  nothing  but  a  cork,  and  a  badly  burnt  one 
at  that.  No,  ma'am !  drinking  isn't  in  my  line.  I 
don't  take  anything  of  that  sort,  except  at  meals,  and 
then  only  the  best  wine  in  genteel  quantities.  But  I 
was  bound  to  have  one  lark,  and  then  I  would  stop, 
and  begin  to  live  like  a  merchant  tailor  with  no  family 
nor  poor  relations." 

"But  what  did  you  do?  "  asked  Mrs.  Cliff.  "If  it  was 
a  lark  without  liquor,  I  want  to  hear  about  it." 

"It  was  a  temperance  lark,  ma'am,"  said  Burke, 
"and  this  is  what  it  was. 

"Now,  though  I  have  been  to  sea  ever  since  I  was 
a  boy,  I  never  had  command  of  any  kind  of  craft,  and 
it  struck  me  that  I  would  like  to  finish  up  my  life  on 
the  ocean  wave  by  taking  command  of  a  vessel.  It  is 
generally  understood  that  riches  will  give  you  any 
thing  you  want,  and  I  said  to  myself  that  my  riches 
should  give  me  that.  I  didn't  want  a  sailin'- vessel. 
I  was  tired  of  sailin' -vessels.  I  wanted  a  steamer.  And 
when  I  commanded  a  steamer  for  a  little  while,  I  would 
stop  short,  and  be  a  landsman  for  the  rest  of  my 
life. 

"So  I  went  up  to  Brest,  where  I  thought  I  might 
find  some  sort  of  steamer  which  might  suit  me,  and  in 
that  harbor  I  did  find  an  English  steamer,  which  had 
discharged  her  cargo,  and  was  expectin'  to  sail  again, 
pretty  much  in  ballast  and  brandy,  so  far  as  I  could 
make  out.  I  went  to  this  vessel,  and  I  made  an  offer 
to  her  captain  to  charter  her  for  an  excursion  of  one 
week— that  was  all  I  wanted. 

"Well,  I'm  not  going  to  bother  you,  Mrs.  Cliff,  with 

50 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

all  that  was  said  and  done  about  this  little  business, 
which  seemed  simple  enough,  but  which  wasn't. 
There  are  people  in  this  world  who  think  that  if  you 
have  money  you  can  buy  anything  you  want,  but  such 
people  might  as  well  get  ready  to  change  their  opin 
ions  if  they  ever  expect  to  come  into  money." 

"That  is  true,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Every  word  of  it 
is  true,  as  I  have  found  out  for  myself ! " 

"Well,"  continued  Burke,  "there  had  to  be  a  lot 
of  telegraphin'  to  the  owners  in  London,  and  a  general 
fuss  with  the  officers  of  the  port  about  papers,  and  all 
that,  but  I  got  the  business  through  all  right,  for  if 
money  won't  get  you  everything,  it's  a  great  help  in 
making  things  slip  along  easy.  And  so  one  fine  after 
noon  I  found  myself  on  board  that  steamer  as  com 
mander  for  one  week. 

"Of  course,  I  didn't  want  to  give  orders  to  the 
crew,  but  I  intended  to  give  my  orders  to  the  captain, 
and  tell  him  what  he  was  to  do,  and  what  he  was  not 
to  do,  for  one  week.  He  didn't  like  that  very  much, 
for  he  was  inclined  to  bulldogism,  but  I  paid  him 
extra  wages,  and  he  agreed  to  knuckle  under  to  me. 

"So  I  gave  him  orders  to  sail  out  of  the  harbor  and 
straight  to  the  island  of  Ushant,  some  twenty-five  miles 
to  the  west  of  northwest. 

"'There's  no  use  going  there,'  said  the  captain— his 
name  was  Dork.  e  There's  nothing  on  that  blasted  bit 
of  rock  for  you  to  see.  There's  no  port  I  could  run 
this  steamer  into.' 

"I  had  been  studying  out  my  business  on  the  chart, 
and  this  little  island  just  suited  my  idea,  and  though 
the  name  was  Ushant,  I  said  to  him,  i  You  shall,'  and 
I  ordered  him  to  sail  to  that  island  and  lay  to  a  mile  or 

51 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

two  to  the  westward,  and  as  to  the  landing,  he  needn't 
talk  about  that  until  I  mentioned  it  myself. 

"So  when  we  got  about  a  couple  of  miles  to  the 
west  of  Ushant,  we  lay  to.  Now,  I  knew  we  were  on 
the  forty-eighth  parallel  of  latitude,  for  I  had  looked 
that  out  on  the  chart,  so  I  said  to  Captain  Dork : 

"'Now,  sir!'  says  I,  'I  want  you  to  head  your 
vessel,  sir,  due  west,  and  then  to  steam  straight  ahead 
for  a  hundred  miles,  keepin'  your  vessel  just  as  near 
as  you  can  on  that  line  of  latitude.' " 

"I  see  ! "  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  very  much  interested.  "If 
he  once  got  on  that  line  of  latitude,  and  kept  sailing 
west  without  turning  one  way  or  the  other,  he  would 
be  bound  to  keep  on  it." 

"That's  exactly  it!"  said  Mr.  Burke.  " 'Twas 
pretty  near  midnight  when  we  started  off  to  run  along 
the  forty-eighth  parallel,  but  I  kept  my  eyes  on  the 
man  at  the  wheel,  and  on  the  compass,  and  I  let  them 
know  that  that  ship  was  under  the  command  of  an 
able-bodied  seaman  who  knew  what  he  was  about,  and 
if  they  skipped  to  one  side  of  that  line  or  to  the  other 
he  would  find  it  out  in  no  time. 

"I  went  below  once  to  take  a  nap,  but,  as  I  promised 
the  fellow  at  the  wheel  ten  shillings  if  he  would  keep 
her  head  due  west,  and  told  him  he  would  be  sure  to 
wake  me  up  if  he  didn't,  I  felt  certain  we  wouldn't 
skip  the  line  of  latitude. 

"Well,  that  steamer,  which  was  called  the  Duke  of 
Dorchester,  and  which  was  a  vessel  of  not  more  than  a 
thousand  tons,  wasn't  much  of  a  sailer,  or  perhaps 
they  was  saving  coal,  I  don't  know  which,  and,  not 
knowing  how  much  coal  ought  to  be  used,  I  kept  my 
mouth  shut  on  that  point.  But  I  had  the  log  thrown 

52 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

a  good  deal,  and  I  found  that  we  never  quite  came 
up  to  ten  knots  an  hour,  and  when  we  took  an  obser 
vation  at  noon  the  next  day,  we  saw  that  we  hadn't 
quite  done  the  hundred  miles ;  but  a  little  before  one 
o'clock  we  did  it,  and  then  I  ordered  the  captain  to 
stop  the  engine  and  lay  to. 

"There  was  a  brig  about  a  mile  away,  and  when 
she  saw  us  layin*  to,  she  put  about  and  made  for  us, 
and  when  she  was  near  enough  she  hailed  to  know  if 
anything  was  the  matter.  She  was  a  French  brig,  but 
Captain  Dork  understood  her,  and  I  told  him  to  bid 
her  good  morning,  and  to  tell  her  that  nothin'  was 
the  matter,  but  that  we  were  just  stoppin'  to  rest.  I 
don't  know  what  he  did  tell  her,  but  she  put  about 
her  helm  and  was  off  again  on  her  own  business. 

" '  Now,7  said  I  to  Captain  Dork, 1 1  want  you  to  back 
this  steamer  due  east  to  the  island  of  Ushant.' 

"He  looked  at  me  and  began  to  swear.  He  took  me 
for  a  maniac,— a  wild,  crazy  man,— and  told  me  the  best 
thing  I  could  do  would  be  to  go  below  and  turn  in, 
and  he  would  take  me  back  to  my  friends,  if  I  had 
any. 

"I  didn't  want  to  tell  him  what  I  was  up  to,  but  I 
found  I  had  to,  and  so  I  explained  to  him  that  I  was 
a  rich  sailor  takin'  a  lark,  and  the  lark  I  wanted  to 
take  was  to  sail  on  a  parallel  of  latitude  a  hundred 
miles  in  a  steamer,  and  then  to  back  that  steamer 
along  that  same  parallel  to  the  place  where  she  started 
from.  I  didn't  believe  that  there  was  ever  a  ship  in 
the  world  that  had  done  that,  and  bein'  on  a  lark,  I 
wanted  to  do  it,  and  was  willin'  to  pay  for  it  ;  and  if 
his  engineers  and  his  crew  grumbled  about  backing 
the  steamer  for  a  hundred  miles,  he  could  explain  to 

53 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

them  how  the  matter  stood,  and  tell  them  that,  bein' 
on  a  lark,  I  was  willin'  to  pay  for  all  extra  trouble  I 
might  put  them  to,  and  for  any  disturbances  in  their 
minds  which  might  rise  from  sailin'  a  vessel  in  a  way 
which  didn't  seem  to  be  accordin'  to  the  ordinary  rules 
of  navigation. 

"Now,  when  Captain  Dork  knew  that  I  was  a  rich 
sailor  on  a  lark,  he  understood  me,  and  he  made  no 
more  objections,  though  he  said  he  wouldn't  have 
spent  his  money  in  that  way ;  and  when  he  told  his 
crew  and  his  engineers  and  men  about  the  extra  pay, 
they  understood  the  matter,  and  they  agreed  to  back 
her  along  the  forty -eighth  parallel  just  as  nigh  as  they 
could  until  they  lay  to  two  miles  west  of  the  island  of 
Ushant. 

"So  back  we  went,  and  they  kept  her  due  east  just 
as  nigh  as  they  could,  and  they  seemed  to  take  an 
interest  in  it,  as  if  all  of  them  wanted  me  to  have  as 
good  a  lark  as  I  could  for  my  money,  and  we  didn't 
skip  that  parallel  very  much,  although  it  wasn't  an 
easy  job,  I  can  tell  you,  to  keep  her  head  due  west 
and  her  stern  due  east,  and  steam  backwards.  They 
had  to  do  a  lot  of  things  that  you  wouldn't  understand, 
madam,  such  as  running  a  spar  out  to  stern  to  take 
sight  by." 

"I  declare,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "that  sort  of  sailing 
must  have  astonished  any  ship  that  saw  it.  Did  you 
meet  any  other  vessels  f  " 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Burke.  "After  daybreak  we  fell  in 
with  a  good  many  sail  and  some  steamers,  and  most  of 
them  ran  close  and  hailed  us,  but  there  wasn't  any 
answer  to  give  them,  except  that  we  were  returning 
to  port,  and  didn't  want  no  help.  But  some  of  the 

54 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

skippers  of  the  smaller  crafts  were  so  full  of  curiosity 
that  they  stuck  to  us,  and  when  we  arrived  off  Ushant, 
which  wasn't  until  nearly  dark  the  next  day,  the  Duke 
of  Dorchester  had  a  convoy  of  five  sloops,  two  schoon 
ers,  a  brig,  eight  pilot-boats,  and  four  tugs." 

Although  Mr.  Burke  had  said  that  he  was  going  to 
make  very  short  work  with  his  story,  it  had  already 
occupied  a  good  deal  of  time,  and  he  was  not  half 
through  with  it;  but  Mrs.  Cliff  listened  with  the 
greatest  interest,  and  the  rich  sailor  went  on  with  his 
recital  of  adventures. 

"Now,  when  I  had  finished  scoring  that  forty-eighth 
parallel  backward  and  forward  for  a  hundred  miles,  I 
took  out  my  purse  and  I  paid  that  captain  and  all  the 
crew  what  I  promised  to  give  them,  and  then  we 
steamed  back  to  Brest,  where  I  told  him  to  drop  an 
chor  and  make  himself  comfortable. 

"I  stayed  on  board  for  a  day  and  a  night,  just  to  get 
my  fill  feeling  I  was  in  command  of  a  steamer,  before 
I  gave  up  a  seafaring  life  forever.  I  threw  up  the 
rest  of  the  week  that  I  was  entitled  to,  and  went 
ashore,  and  my  lark  was  over. 

"I  went  to  England  and  took  passage  for  home,  and 
I  had  a  first-class  state-room,  and  laid  in  a  lot  of  good 
clothes  before  I  started.  I  don't  think  I  ever  had 
greater  comfort  in  my  life  than  sittin'  on  deck, 
smokin'  a  good  cigar,  and  watchin'  the  able-bodied 
seamen  at  their  work. 

"I  hope  Fm  not  tiring  you,  madam,  but  I'm  trying 
to  cut  things  as  short  as  I  can.  It's  often  said  that  a 
sailor  is  all  at  sea  when  he  is  on  shore,  but  I  was  a 
country  fellow  before  I  was  a  sailor,  and  land  doings 
come  naturally  to  me  when  I  fix  my  mind  on  them. 

55 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

"I'd  made  up  my  mind  I  was  going  to  build  my 
mother  a  house  on  Cape  Cod,  but  when  I  got  home  1 
thought  it  better  to  buy  her  one  already  built,  and 
that's  what  I  did,  and  I  stayed  there  with  her  a  little 
while,  but  I  didn't  like  it.  I'd  had  a  notion  of  having 
another  house  near  my  mother's,  but  I  gave  up  that. 
There's  too  much  sea  about  Cape  Cod. 

"Now,  she  liked  it,  for  she's  a  regular  sailor's 
mother,  but  I  couldn't  feel  that  I  was  really  a  rich 
fellow  livin'  ashore  until  I  got  out  of  hearin'  of  the 
ocean,  and  out  of  smellin'  of  salt  and  tar.  So  I  made 
up  my  mind  that  I'd  go  inland,  and  settle  somewhere 
on  a  place  of  my  own,  where  I  might  have  command 
of  some  sort  of  farm. 

"I  didn't  know  just  exactly  what  I  wanted,  nor  just 
exactly  where  I  wanted  to  go,  so  I  thought  it  best  to 
look  around  a  little  and  hold  council  with  somebody 
or  other.  I  couldn't  hold  council  with  my  mother, 
because  she  wanted  me  to  buy  a  ship  and  take  com 
mand  of  her.  And  then  I  thought  of  Captain  Horn, 
and  goin'  to  ask  him.  But  the  captain  is  a  great 
man—" 

"Indeed,  he  is  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cliff.  "We  all 
know  that ! " 

"But  he  is  off  on  his  own  business,"  continued 
Burke,  "and  what  sort  of  a  princely  concern  he's  got 
on  hand  I  don't  know.  Anyway,  he  wouldn't  want 
me  followin'  him  about  and  botherin'  him.  So  I 
thought  of  everybody  I  could,  and  at  last  it  struck  me 
that  there  wasn't  anybody  better  than  you,  Mrs.  Cliff, 
to  give  me  the  points  I  wanted,  for  I  always  liked  you, 
Mrs.  Cliff,  and  I  consider  you  a  woman  of  good  sense 
down  to  the  keel.  And  as  I  heard  you  were  livin'  in 

56 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

sort  of  a  country  place,  I  thought  you'd  be  the  very 
person  that  I  could  come  and  talk  to  and  get  points. 

"I  felt  a  hankering  anyway,  after  some  of  the  old 
people  of  the  Castor ;  for,  after  having  had  all  that 
money  divided  among  us,  it  made  me  feel  as  if  we 
belonged  to  the  same  family.  I  suppose  that  was  one 
reason  why  I  felt  a  sort  of  drawing  to  you,  you  know. 
Anyway,  I  knew  where  you  lived,  and  I  came  right 
here,  and  arrived  this  morning.  After  I'd  taken  a 
room  at  the  hotel,  I  asked  for  your  house  and  came 
straight  here." 

"  And  very  glad  am  I  to  see  you,  Mr.  Burke  ! "  said 
Mrs.  Cliff,  speaking  honestly  from  the  bottom  of  her 
heart. 

She  had  not  known  Burke  very  well,  but  she  had 
always  looked  upon  him  as  a  fine,  manly  sailor ;  and 
now  that  he  had  come  to  her,  she  was  conscious  of  the 
family  feeling  which  he  had  spoken  of,  and  she  was 
very  glad  to  see  him. 

She  saw  that  Burke  was  very  anxious  to  know  why 
she  was  living  in  a  plain  fashion  in  this  unpretentious 
house,  but  she  found  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  ex 
plain  the  matter  to  him.  Hers  was  not  a  straightfor 
ward  tale,  which  she  could  simply  sit  and  tell,  and, 
moreover,  although  she  liked  Burke,  and  thought  it 
probable  that  he  was  a  man  of  a  very  good  heart,  she 
did  not  believe  that  he  was  capable  of  advising  her  in 
the  perplexities  which  her  wealth  had  thrown  about 
her. 

Still,  she  talked  to  him,  and  told  him  what  she 
thought  she  could  make  him  properly  understand,  and 
so,  from  one  point  to  another,  she  went  on  until  she 
had  given  the  ex-sailor  a  very  good  idea  of  the  state 

57 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

of  her  mind  in  regard  to  what  she  was  doing,  and 
what  she  thought  she  ought  to  do. 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  had  finished  speaking,  Burke  thrust 
his  hands  into  his  pockets,  leaned  back  in  his  chair, 
and  looked  at  the  ceiling  of  the  room,  the  walls,  and 
the  floor.  He  wanted  to  say  something,  but  he  was 
not  prepared  to  do  so.  His  mind,  still  nautical,  desired 
to  take  an  observation  and  determine  the  latitude  and 
longitude  of  Mrs.  Cliff,  but  the  skies  were  very  much 
overcast. 

At  this  moment  Willy  Croup  knocked  at  the  parlor 
door,  and  when  Mrs.  Cliff  went  to  her,  she  asked  if  the 
gentleman  was  going  to  stay  to  dinner. 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  surprised.  She  had  no  idea  it  was  so 
late,  but  she  went  back  to  Mr.  Burke  and  urged  him 
to  stay  to  dinner.  He  consented  instantly,  declaring 
that  this  was  the  first  time  that  anybody  not  his 
mother  had  asked  him  to  dinner  since  he  came  into 
his  fortune. 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  had  excused  herself  to  give  some 
directions  about  the  meal,  Burke  walked  about  the 
parlor,  carefully  examining  everything  in  it.  When 
he  had  finished  his  survey,  he  sat  down  and  shook  his 
head. 

"The  trouble  with  her  is,"  he  said  to  himself,  "that 
she's  so  dreadfully  afraid  of  running  ashore  that  she 
will  never  reach  any  port,  that's  what's  the  matter  ! " 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  returned,  she  asked  her  visitor  if 
he  would  like  to  see  her  house,  and  she  showed  him 
over  it  with  great  satisfaction,  for  she  had  filled  every 
room  with  all  the  handsome  and  appropriate  things  she 
could  get  into  it.  Burke  noticed  everything,  and 
spoke  with  approbation  of  many  things,  but  as  he 

58 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

walked  behind  his  hostess,  he  kept  shaking  his 
head. 

He  went  down  to  dinner,  and  was  introduced  to 
Willy  Croup,  who  had  been  ordered  to  go  and  dress 
herself,  that  she  might  appear  at  the  meal.  He  shook 
hands  with  her  very  cordially,  and  then  looked  all 
around  the  little  dining-room,  taking  in  every  feature 
of  its  furnishing  and  adornment.  When  he  had  fin 
ished,  he  would  have  been  glad  to  shake  his  head  again, 
but  this  would  have  been  observed. 

When  the  dinner  came  on,  however,  Mr.  Burke  had 
no  desire  to  shake  his  head.  It  was  what  might  have 
been  called  a  family  dinner,  but  there  was  such  a 
variety,  such  an  abundance,  everything  was  so  admi 
rably  cooked,  and  the  elderberry  wine,  which  was  pro 
duced  in  his  honor,  was  so  much  more  rich  and  fragrant 
to  his  taste  than  the  wines  he  had  had  at  hotels,  that 
Mr.  Burke  was  delighted. 

Now  he  felt  that  in  forming  an  opinion  as  to  Mrs. 
Cliff's  manner  of  living  he  had  some  grounds  to  stand 
upon.  "What  she  wants,"  thought  he,  "is  all  the 
solid,  sensible  comfort  her  money  can  give  her,  and 
where  she  knows  what  she  wants,  she  gets  it.  But  the 
trouble  seems  to  be  that  in  most  things  she  doesn't 
know  what  she  wants  ! " 

When  Mr.  Burke,  that  afternoon,  walked  back  to  the 
hotel,  wrapped  in  his  fur-trimmed  coat,  and  carefully 
puffing  a  fine  Havana  cigar,  he  had  entirely  forgotten 
his  own  plans  and  purposes  in  life,  and  was  engrossed 
in  those  of  Mrs.  Cliff. 


59 


CHAPTEE  VII 

ME.   BURKE  ACCEPTS  A  RESPONSIBILITY 

WILLY  CROUP  was  very  mucli  pleased  with  Mr.  Burke, 
and  she  was  glad  that  she  had  allowed  herself  to  be 
persuaded  to  sit  at  table  with  such  a  fine  gentleman. 

He  treated  her  with  extreme  graciousness  of  man 
ner,  and  it  was  quite  plain  to  her  that  if  he  recognized 
her  in  her  silk  gown  as  the  person  who,  in  a  calico 
dress,  had  opened  the  front  door  for  him,  he  had  de 
termined  to  make  her  feel  that  he  had  not  noticed 
the  coincidence. 

He  was  a  good  deal  younger  than  she  was,  but 
Willy's  childlike  disposition  had  projected  itself  into 
her  maturer  years,  and  in  some  respects  there  was  a 
greater  sympathy,  quickly  perceived  by  both,  between 
her  and  Mr.  Burke  than  yet  existed  between  him  and 
Mrs.  Cliff.  After  some  of  the  amusing  anecdotes  which 
he  told,  the  visitor  looked  first  toward  Willy  to  see 
how  she  appreciated  them ;  but  it  must  not  be  sup 
posed  that  he  was  not  extremely  attentive  and  deferen 
tial  to  his  hostess. 

If  Willy  had  known  what  a  brave,  gallant,  and  dar 
ing  sailor  he  was,  she  would  have  made  a  hero  of  him ; 
but  Mrs.  Cliff  had  never  said  much  about  Burke,  and 

60 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

"Willy  simply  admired  him  as  the  best  specimen  of  the 
urbane  man  of  the  world  with  whom  she  had  yet  met. 

The  two  women  talked  a  good  deal  about  their 
visitor  that  evening,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  said  that  she  hoped 
he  was  not  going  to  leave  town  very  soon,  for  it  was 
possible  that  she  might  be  of  help  to  him  if  he  wanted 
to  settle  down  in  that  part  of  the  country. 

The  next  morning,  soon  after  breakfast,  when  Willy 
opened  the  front  gate  of  the  yard  and  stepped  out 
upon  the  street  with  a  small  covered  basket  in  her 
hand,  she  had  gone  but  a  very  little  distance  when  she 
met  Mr.  Burke,  with  his  furs,  his  cane,  and  his  silk 
hat.  The  latter  was  lifted  very  high  as  its  owner 
saluted  Miss  Croup. 

Willy,  who  was  of  a  fair  complexion,  reddened 
somewhat  as  she  shook  hands  with  the  gentleman, 
informed  him,  in  answer  to  his  questions,  that  Mrs. 
Cliff  was  very  well,  that  she  was  very  well,  that  the 
former  was  at  home  and  would  be  glad  to  see  him, 
and  that  she  herself  was  going  into  the  business  part 
of  the  town  to  make  some  little  purchases. 

She  would  have  been  better  pleased  if  she  had  not 
been  obliged  to  tell  him  where  she  was  going,  but  she 
could  not  do  otherwise  when  he  said  he  supposed  she 
was  walking  for  the  benefit  of  the  fresh  morning  air. 
He  added  to  her  discomfiture  by  requesting  to  be 
allowed  to  walk  with  her,  and  by  offering  to  carry 
her  basket.  This  threw  Willy's  mind  into  a  good 
deal  of  a  flutter.  Why  could  she  not  have  met  this 
handsomely  dressed  gentleman  sometime  when  she 
was  not  going  to  the  grocery  store  to  buy  such  things 
as  stove-blacking  and  borax  ?  It  seemed  to  her  as  if 
these  commodities  must  suggest,  to  the  mind  of  any 

61 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

one,  rusty  iron  and  obtrusive  insects,  and  as  articles 
altogether  outside  the  pale  of  allusion  in  high-toned 
social  intercourse. 

It  also  struck  her  as  a  little  odd  that  a  gentleman 
should  propose  to  accompany  a  lady  when  she  was 
going  on  domestic  errands  ;  but  then,  this  gentleman 
was  different  from  any  she  had  known,  and  there  were 
many  ways  of  the  world  with  which  she  was  not  at  all 
acquainted. 

Mr.  Burke  immediately  began  to  speak  of  the  visit 
of  the  day 'before.  He  had  enjoyed  seeing  Mrs.  Cliff 
again,  and  he  had  never  sat  down  to  a  better  dinner. 

"Yes,"  said  Willy,  "she  likes  good  eating  and  she 
knows  what  it  is,  and  if  she  had  a  bigger  dining-room 
she  would  often  invite  people  to  dinner,  and  I  expect 
the  house  would  be  quite  lively,  as  she  seems  more 
given  to  company  than  she  used  to  be,  and  that's  all 
right,  considerin'  she's  better  able  to  afford  it." 

Mr.  Burke  took  a  deep,  satisfied  breath.  The  op 
portunity  had  already  come  to  him  to  speak  his  mind. 

"Afford  it ! "  said  he.  "I  should  think  so  !  Mrs. 
Cliff  must  be  very  rich.  She  is  worth,  I  should  say 
—well,  I  don't  know  what  to  say,  not  knowing  exactly 
and  precisely  what  each  person  got  when  the  grand 
division  was  made." 

Willy's  loyalty  to  Mrs.  Cliff  prompted  her  to  put 
her  in  as  good  a  light  as  possible  before  this  man  of 
the  world,  and  her  own  self-esteem  prompted  her  to 
show  that,  being  a  friend  and  relative  of  this  rich  lady, 
she  was  not  ignorant  of  her  affairs  in  life. 

"Oh,  she's  rich!"  said  Willy.  "I  can't  say,  of 
course,  just  how  much  she  has,  but  Pm  quite  sure 
that  she  owns  at  least—" 

62 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

Willy  wished  to  put  the  amount  of  the  fortune  at 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  but  she  was  a  little 
afraid  that  this  might  be  too  much,  and  yet  she  did 
not  wish  to  make  the  amount  any  smaller  than  could 
possibly  be  helped.  So  she  thought  of  seventy-five, 
and  then  eighty,  and  finally  remarked  that  Mrs.  Cliff 
must  be  worth  at  least  ninety  thousand  dollars.  Mr. 
Burke  looked  up  at  the  sky  and  wanted  to  whistle. 

"Ninety  thousand  dollars  ! "  he  said  to  himself.  "I 
know  positively  that  it  was  at  least  four  millions  at 
the  time  of  the  division,  and  she  says  she's  richer  now 
than  she  was  then,  which  is  easy  to  be  accounted  for 
by  the  interest  coming  in.  I  see  her  game !  She 
wants  to  keep  shady  about  her  big  fortune  because 
her  neighbors  would  expect  her  to  live  up  to  it, 
and  she  knows  it  isn't  in  her  to  live  up  to  it.  Now 
I'm  beginning  to  see  through  the  fog." 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  he,  "that  Mrs.  Cliff  ought  to 
have  a  bigger  dining-room." 

This  remark  pulled  up  the  flood-gate  to  Willy's  ac 
cumulated  sentiments  on  the  subject,  and  they  poured 
forth  in  a  rushing  stream. 

Yes,  indeed,  Mrs.  Cliff  ought  to  have  a  bigger  din 
ing-room,  and  other  rooms  to  the  house,  and  there 
was  the  front  fence,  and  no  end  of  things  she  ought  to 
have,  and  it  was  soon  made  clear  to  Mr.  Burke  that 
Willy  had  been  lying  awake  at  night  thinking,  and 
thinking,  and  thinking  about  what  Mrs.  Cliff  ought  to 
have  and  what  she  did  not  have.  She  said  she  really 
and  honestly  believed  that  there  was  no  reason  at  all 
why  she  did  not  have  them,  except  that  she  did  not 
want  to  seem  to  be  setting  herself  up  above  her  neigh 
bors.  In  fact,  Mrs.  Cliff  had  told  Willy  two  or  three 

63 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

times,  when  there  had  been  a  discussion  about  prices, 
that  she  was  able  to  do  anything  she  wanted,  and  if 
she  could  do  that,  why  did  she  not  do  it?  People 
were  all  talking  about  it,  and  they  had  talked  and 
talked  her  fortune  down  until  in  some  families  it  was 
not  any  more  than  ten  thousand  dollars. 

On  and  on  talked  Willy,  while  Mr.  Burke  said 
scarcely  a  word,  but  he  listened  with  the  greatest 
attention.  They  had  now  walked  on  until  they  had 
reached  the  main  street  of  the  little  town,  gone 
through  the  business  part  where  the  shops  were,  and 
out  into  the  suburbs.  Suddenly  Willy  stopped. 

"Oh,  dear ! "  she  exclaimed,  "I've  gone  too  far !  I 
was  so  interested  in  talking  that  I  didn't  think." 

"I'm  sorry,"  said  Mr.  Burke,  "that  I've  taken  you 
out  of  your  way.  Can't  I  get  you  what  you  want  and 
save  you  the  trouble? " 

Now  Willy  was  in  another  flutter.  After  the  walk 
with  the  fur-trimmed  coat,  and  the  talk  about  dollars 
by  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands,  she  could  not 
come  down  to  mention  borax  and  blacking. 

"Oh,  no,  thank  you!"  said  she,  trying  her  best  to 
think  of  some  other  errand  than  the  one  she  had  come 
upon.  "I  don't  believe  it's  finished  yet,  and  it's 
hardly  worth  while  to  stop.  There  was  one  of  those 
big  cushion-covers  that  she  brought  from  Paris  that 
was  to  be  filled  with  down,  but  I  don't  believe  it's 
ready  yet,  and  I  needn't  stop." 

Mr.  Burke  could  not  but  think  it  a  little  odd  that 
such  a  small  basket  should  be  brought  for  the  purpose 
of  carrying  home  a  large  down  cushion,  but  he  said 
nothing  further  on  the  subject.  He  had  had  a  most 
gratifying  conversation  with  this  communicative  and 

64 


MRS.    CLIFFS   YACHT 

agreeable  person,  and  his  interest  in  Mrs.  Cliff  was 
greatly  increased. 

When  he  neared  the  hotel,  he  took  leave  of  his  com 
panion,  saying  that  he  would  call  in  the  afternoon, 
and  Willy,  after  she  had  looked  back  and  was  sure  he 
was  out  of  sight,  slipped  into  the  grocery  store  and  got 
her  borax  and  blacking. 

Mr.  Burke  called  on  Mrs.  Cliff  that  afternoon,  and 
the  next  morning,  and  two  or  three  times  the  day 
after.  They  came  to  be  very  much  interested  in  each 
other,  and  Burke  in  his  mind  compared  this  elderly 
friend  with  his  mother,  and  not  to  the  advantage  of 
the  latter. 

Burke's  mother  was  a  woman  who  would  always 
have  her  own  way,  and  wanted  advice  and  counsel 
from  no  one,  but  Mrs.  Cliff  was  a  very  different 
woman.  She  was  so  willing  to  listen  to  what  Burke 
said,— and  his  remarks  were  nearly  always  on  the 
subject  of  the  proper  expenditure  of  money,— and  ap 
peared  to  attach  so  much  importance  to  his  opin 
ions,  that  he  began  to  feel  that  a  certain  responsibility, 
not  at  all  an  unpleasant  one,  was  forcing  itself  upon 
him. 

He  did  not  think  that  he  should  try  to  constitute 
himself  her  director,  or  even  to  assume  the  position  of 
professional  suggester,  but  in  an  amateur  way  he  sug 
gested,  and  she,  without  any  idea  of  depending  upon 
him  for  suggestions,  found  herself  more  and  more  in 
clined  to  accept  them  as  he  continued  to  offer  them. 

She  soon  discovered  that  he  was  the  only  person  in 
Plainton  who  knew  her  real  fortune,  and  this  was  a 
bond  of  sympathy  and  union  between  them,  and  she 
became  aware  that  she  had  succeeded  in  impressing 

65 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

him  with  her  desire  to  live  upon  said  fortune  in  such 
a  manner  that  it  would  not  interfere  with  her  friend 
ships  or  associations,  and  her  lifelong  ideas  of  comfort 
and  pleasure. 

The  people  of  the  town  talked  a  great  deal  about  the 
fine  gentleman  at  the  hotel,  but  they  knew  he  was  one 
of  the  people  who  had  become  rich  in  consequence 
of  Captain  Horn's  discovery,  and  some  of  them,  good 
friends  of  Mrs.  Cliff,  felt  sorry  that  she  had  not  prof 
ited  to  as  great  a  degree  by  that  division  as  this  gen 
tleman  of  opulent  taste,  who  occupied  two  of  the 
best  rooms  in  the  hotel,  and  obliged  Mr.  Williams  to 
send  to  Harrington,  and  even  to  Boston,  for  provisions 
suitable  to  his  epicurean  tastes,  and  who  drove  around 
the  country  with  a  carriage  and  pair  at  least  once  a 
day. 

When  Burke  was  ready  to  make  his  suggestions,  he 
thought  he  would  begin  in  a  mild  fashion,  and  see  how 
Mrs.  Cliff  would  take  them. 

"If  I  was  in  your  place,  madam,"  said  he,  "the  first 
thing  I  would  do  would  be  to  have  a  lot  of  servants. 
There's  nothin'  money  can  give  a  person  that's  better 
than  plenty  of  people  to  do  things— lots  of  them  on 
hand  all  the  time,  like  the  crew  of  a  ship." 

"But  I  couldn't  do  that,  Mr.  Burke,"  said  she.  "My 
house  is  too  small.  I  haven't  any  place  for  servants 
to  sleep.  When  I  enlarge  my  house,  of  course,  I  may 
have  more  servants." 

"Oh,  I  wouldn't  wait  for  that,"  said  he.  "Until  then 
you  could  board  them  at  the  hotel." 

This  suggestion  was  strongly  backed  by  Willy 
Croup,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  took  the  matter  to  heart.  She 
collected  together  a  domestic  establishment  of  as  many 

66 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

servants  as  she  thought  her  establishment  could  pos 
sibly  provide  with  work,  and  although  she  did  not 
send  them  to  be  guests  at  the  hotel,  she  obtained 
lodging  for  them  at  the  house  of  a  poor  woman  in  the 
neighborhood. 

When  she  had  done  this,  she  felt  that  she  had  made 
a  step  in  the  direction  of  doing  her  duty  by  her 
money. 

Mr.  Burke  made  another  suggestion.  "If  I  was 
you,"  said  he,  "I  wouldn't  wait  for  times  or  seasons, 
for  in  these  days  people  build  in  winter  the  same  as  in 
summer.  I  would  put  up  that  addition  just  as  soon 
as  it  could  be  done." 

Mrs.  Cliff  sighed.  "I  suppose  that's  what  I  should 
do,"  said  she.  "I  feel  that  it  is.  But  you  know  how  I 
hate  to  begin  it." 

"But  you  needn't  hate  it,"  said  he.  "There  isn't 
the  least  reason  in  the  world  for  any  objection  to  it. 
I've  a  plan  which  will  make  it  all  clear  sailin'.  I've 
been  thinkin'  it  out,  and  this  is  the  way  I've  thought 
it." 

Mrs.  Cliff  listened  with  great  attention. 

"Now,  then,"  said  Burke,  "next  to  you  on  the  west 
is  your  own  lot  that  you're  going  to  put  your  new 
dining-room  on.  Am  I  right  there  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "you  are  right  there." 

"Well,  next  to  that  is  the  little  house  inhabited  by 
a  family  named  Barnard,  I'm  told,  and  next  to  that 
there's  a  large  corner  lot  with  an  old  house  on  it  that's 
for  sale.  Now,  then,  if  I  was  you,  I'd  buy  that  corner 
lot,  and  clear  away  the  old  house,  and  I'd  build  my 
dining-room  right  there.  I'd  get  a  good  architect,  and 
let  him  plan  you  a  first-class,  A  No.  1  dining-room, 

67 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

with  other  rooms  to  it  above  it  and  below  it  and 
around  it,  with  porticos,  and  piazzas,  and  little  bal 
conies  to  the  second  story,  and  everything  that  any 
body  might  want  attached  to  a  first-class  dining- 
room." 

Mrs.  Cliff  laughed.  "But  what  good  would  it  be 
to  me  away  up  there  at  the  corner  of  the  next 
street?" 

"The  reason  for  putting  it  there,"  said  Burke,  "is  to 
get  clear  of  all  the  noise  and  dirt  of  building,  and  the 
fuss  and  bother,  that  you  dislike  so  much.  And  then, 
when  it  was  all  finished,  and  painted  and  papered, 
and  the  carpets  down,  if  you  like,  Fd  have  it  moved 
right  up  here  against  your  house,  just  where  you  want 
it.  "When  everything  was  in  order,  and  you  was 
ready,  you  could  cut  a  door  right  through  into  the 
new  dining-room,  and  there  you'd  be.  They've  got  so 
in  the  way  of  slidin'  buildings  along  on  timbers  now 
that  they  can  travel  about  almost  like  the  old  stage 
coaches,  and  you  needn't  have  your  cellar  dug  until 
you're  ready  to  clap  your  new  dining-room  right 
over  it." 

Mrs.  Cliff  smiled,  and  Willy  listened  with  open 
eyes.  "But  how  about  the  Barnard  family  and  their 
house  f  "  said  she. 

"Oh,  I'd  buy  them  a  lot  somewhere  else,"  said  he, 
"and  move  their  house.  They  wouldn't  object  if  you 
paid  them  extra.  What  I'd  have  if  I  was  in  your 
place,  Mrs.  Cliff,  would  be  a  clear  lot  down  to  the 
next  street,  and  I'd  have  a  garden  in  it,  with  flowers, 
and  gravel  walks,  and  greenhouses,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing." 

"All  stretching  itself  out  in  the  sunshine  under  the 
68 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

new  dining-room  windows  ! "  cried  Willy  Croup,  with 
sparkling  eyes. 

Mrs.  Cliff  sat  and  considered,  a  cheerful  glow  in  her 
veins.  Here,  really,  was  an  opportunity  of  stemming 
the  current  of  her  income  without  shocking  any  of  her 
social  instincts ! 


69 


CHAPTER  VIII 

ME.   BURKE   BEGINS  TO  MAKE  THINGS 
MOVE   IN  PLAINTON 

IT  was  not  long  before  Mr.  Burke  began  to  be  a  very 
important  personage  in  Plainton.  It  was  generally 
known  that  he  intended  to  buy  land  and  settle  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  as  he  was  a  rich  man,  evidently 
inclined  to  be  liberal  in  his  expenditures,  this  was  a 
matter  of  great  interest  both  in  social  and  business 
circles. 

He  often  drove  out  to  survey  the  surrounding  coun 
try,  but  when  he  was  perceived  several  times  standing 
in  front  of  an  old  house  at  the  corner  of  the  street  near 
Mrs.  ClifFs  residence,  it  was  supposed  that  he  might 
have  changed  his  mind  in  regard  to  a  country  place, 
and  was  thinking  of  building  in  the  town. 

He  was  not  long  considered  a  stranger  in  the  place. 
Mrs.  Cliff  frequently  spoke  of  him  as  a  valued  friend, 
and  there  was  reason  to  believe  that,  in  the  various 
adventures  and  dangers  of  which  they  had  heard, 
Mr.  Burke  had  been  of  great  service  to  their  old 
friend  and  neighbor,  and  it  was  not  unlikely  that  his 
influence  had  had  a  geod  deal  to  do  with  her  receipt 

70 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

of  a  portion  of  the  treasure  discovered  by  the  com 
mander  of  the  expedition. 

Several  persons  had  said  more  than  once  that  they 
could  not  see  why  Mrs.  Cliff  should  have  had  any 
claim  upon  this  treasure,  except,  perhaps,  to  the  ex 
tent  of  her  losses.  But  if  she  had  had  a  friend  in 
camp,— and  Mr.  Burke  was  certainly  a  friend,— it  was 
easy  to  understand  why  he  would  do  the  best  he  could, 
at  a  time  when  money  was  so  plenty,  for  the  benefit 
of  one  whom  he  knew  to  be  a  widow  in  straitened 
circumstances. 

So  Mr.  Burke  was  looked  upon  not  only  as  a  man  of 
wealth  and  superior  tastes  in  regard  to  food  and  per 
sonal  comfort,  but  as  a  man  of  a  liberal  and  generous 
disposition.  Furthermore,  there  was  no  pride  about 
him.  Often,  on  his  return  from  his  drives,  his  barouche 
and  pair,  which  Mr.  Williams  had  obtained  in  Har 
rington  for  his  guest's  express  benefit,  would  stop  in 
front  of  Mrs.  Cliff's  modest  residence,  and  two  or 
three  times  he  had  taken  that  good  lady  and  Willy 
Croup  to  drive  with  him. 

But  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  care  very  much  for  the  ba 
rouche.  She  would  have  preferred  a  little  phaeton 
and  a  horse  which  she  could  drive  herself.  As  for 
her  horse  and  the  two-seated  wagon,  that  was  declared 
by  most  of  the  ladies  of  the  town  to  be  a  piece  of  ab 
solute  extravagance.  It  was  used  almost  exclusively 
by  Willy,  who  was  known  to  deal  with  shops  in  the 
most  distant  part  of  the  town  in  order  that  she  might 
have  an  excuse,  it  was  said,  to  order  out  that  wagon 
and  have  Andrew  Marks  to  drive  her. 

Of  course,  they  did  not  know  how  often  Mrs.  Cliff 
had  said  to  herself  that  it  was  really  not  a  waste  of 

71 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

money  to  keep  this  horse,  for  Willy  was  no  longer 
young,  and  if  she  could  save  her  any  weary  steps,  she 
ought  to  do  it,  and  at  the  same  time  relieve  a  little 
the  congested  state  of  her  income. 

Mr.  Burke  was  not  of  an  unknown  family.  He 
was  quite  willing  to  talk  about  himself,  especially 
to  Mr.  Williams,  as  they  sat  and  smoked  together  in 
the  evening,  and  he  said  a  good  deal  about  his  father, 
who  had  owned  two  ships  at  Nantucket,  and  who, 
according  to  his  son,  was  one  of  the  most  influential 
citizens  of  the  place. 

Mr.  Williams  had  heard  of  the  Burkes  of  Nan- 
tucket,  and  he  did  not  think  any  the  less  of  the  one 
who  was  now  his  guest,  because  his  father's  ships  had 
come  to  grief  during  his  boyhood,  and  he  had  been 
obliged  to  give  up  a  career  on  shore,  which  he  would 
have  liked,  and  go  to  sea,  which  he  did  not  like.  A 
brave  spirit  in  poverty,  coupled  with  a  liberal  disposi 
tion  in  opulence,  was  enough  to  place  Mr.  Burke  on  a 
very  high  plane  in  the  opinions  of  the  people  of 
Plainton. 

Half  a  mile  outside  the  town,  upon  a  commanding 
eminence,  there  was  a  handsome  house  which  belonged 
to  a  family  named  Buskirk.  These  people  were  really 
not  of  Plainton,  although  their  post-office  and  railroad 
station  were  there.  They  were  rich  city  people  who 
came  to  this  country  place  for  the  summer  and  au 
tumn,  and  who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  town  folks, 
except  in  a  limited  degree  to  deal  with  some  of  them. 

This  family  lived  in  great  style,  and  their  coachman 
and  footman  in  knee-breeches,  their  handsome  horses 
with  docked  tails,  the  beautiful  grounds  about  their 
house,  a  feebly  shooting  fountain  on  the  front  lawn, 

72 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

were  a  source  of  anxious  disquietude  in  the  mind  of 
Mrs.  Cliff.  They  were  like  the  skeletons  which  were 
brought  in  at  the  feasts  of  the  ancients. 

"If  I  should  ever  be  obliged  to  live  like  the  Bus- 
kirks  on  the  hill/7  the  good  lady  would  say  to  herself, 
"I  would  wish  myself  back  to  what  I  used  to  be,  ask 
ing  only  that  my  debts  be  paid." 

Even  the  Buskirks  took  notice  of  Mr.  Burke.  In 
him  they  thought  it  possible  they  might  have  a  neigh 
bor.  If  he  should  buy  a  place  and  build  a  fine  house 
somewhere  in  their  vicinity,  which  they  thought  the 
only  vicinity  in  which  any  one  should  build  a  fine 
house,  it  might  be  a  very  good  thing,  and  would  cer 
tainly  not  depreciate  the  value  of  their  property.  A 
wealthy  bachelor  might,  indeed,  be  a  more  desirable 
neighbor  than  a  large  family. 

The  Buskirks  had  been  called  upon  when  they 
came  to  Plainton,  a  few  years  before,  by  several  fami 
lies.  Of  course,  the  clergyman,  Mr.  Perley,  and  his  wife, 
paid  them  a  visit,  and  the  two  Misses  Thorpdyke 
hired  a  carriage  and  drove  to  the  house,  and,  although 
they  did  not  see  the  family,  they  left  their  cards. 

After  some  time  these  and  other  calls  were  returned, 
but  in  the  most  ceremonious  manner,  and  there  ended 
the  social  intercourse  between  the  fine  house  on  the 
hill  and  the  town. 

As  the  Buskirks  drove  to  Harrington  to  church, 
they  did  not  care  about  the  Perleys,  and  although 
they  seemed  somewhat  inclined  to  cultivate  the 
Thorpdykes,  who  were  known  to  be  of  such  an  excel 
lent  old  family,  the  Thorpdykes  did  not  reciprocate 
the  feeling,  and,  having  declined  an  invitation  to  tea, 
received  no  more. 

73 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

But  now  Mr.  Buskirk,  who  had  come  up  on  Satur 
day  to  spend  Sunday  with  his  family,  actually  called 
on  Mr.  Burke  at  the  hotel.  The  wealthy  sailor  was 
not  at  home,  and  the  city  gentleman  left  his  card. 

When  Mr.  Burke  showed  this  card  to  Mrs.  Cliff,,  her 
face  clouded.  "Are  you  going  to  return  the  visit?" 
said  she. 

"Oh,  yes  ! "  answered  Burke.  "Some  of  these  days 
I  will  drive  up  and  look  in  on  them.  I  expect  they 
have  got  a  fancy  parlor,  and  I  would  like  to  sit  in  it 
awhile  and  think  of  the  days  when  I  used  to  swab  the 
deck.  There's  nothin'  more  elevatin',  to  my  mind, 
than  just  that  sort  of  thing.  I  do  it  sometimes  when  I 
am  eatin'  my  meals  at  the  hotel,  and  the  better  I  can 
bring  to  mind  the  bad  coffee  and  hardtack,  the  better 
I  like  what's  set  before  me." 

Mrs.  Cliff  sighed.  She  wished  Mr.  Buskirk  had  kept 
away  from  the  hotel. 

As  soon  as  Mrs.  Cliff  had  consented  to  the  erection 
of  the  new  dining-room  on  the  corner  lot,— and  she 
did  not  hesitate  after  Mr.  Burke  had  explained  to  her 
how  easy  it  would  be  to  do  the  whole  thing  almost 
without  her  knowing  anything  about  it,  if  she  did  not 
want  to  bother  herself  in  the  matter,— the  enterprise 
was  begun. 

Burke,  who  was  of  an  active  mind,  and  who  de 
lighted  in  managing  and  directing,  undertook  to  ar 
range  everything.  There  was  no  agreement  between 
Mrs.  Cliff  and  himself  that  he  should  do  this,  but  it 
pleased  him  so  much  to  do  it,  and  it  pleased  her  so 
much  to  have  him  do  it,  that  it  was  done  as  a  thing 
which  might  be  expected  to  happen  naturally. 

Sometimes  she  said  he  was  giving  her  too  much  of 
74 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

his  time,  but  lie  scorned  such  an  idea.  He  had  noth 
ing  to  do,  for  he  did  not  believe  that  he  should  buy 
a  place  for  himself  until  spring,  because  he  wanted  to 
pick  out  a  spot  to  live  in  when  the  leaves  were  coming 
out  instead  of  when  they  were  dropping  off,  and  the 
best  fun  he  knew  of  would  be  to  have  command  of  a 
big  crew,  and  to  keep  them  at  work  building  Mrs. 
Cliff's  dining-room. 

"I  should  be  glad  to  have  you  attend  to  the  con 
tracts,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "and  all  I  ask  is  that,  while 
you  don't  waste  anything,— for  I  think  it  is  a  sin  to 
waste  money,  no  matter  how  much  you  may  have,— 
you  will  help  me  as  much  as  you  can  to  make  me  feel 
that  I  really  am  making  use  of  my  income." 

Burke  agreed  to  do  all  this,  always  under  her  ad 
vice,  of  course,  and  very  soon  he  had  his  crew,  and 
they  were  hard  at  work.  He  sent  to  Harrington  and 
employed  an  architect  to  make  plans,  and  as  soon  as 
the  general  basis  of  these  was  agreed  upon,  the  build 
ing  was  put  in  charge  of  a  contractor,  who,  under  Mr. 
Burke,  began  to  collect  material  and  workmen  from 
all  available  quarters. 

"  We've  got  to  work  sharp,  for  the  new  building 
must  be  moored  alongside  Mrs.  Cliff's  house  before  the 
first  snow-storm." 

A  lawyer  of  Plainton  undertook  the  purchase  of  the 
land,  and  as  the  payments  were  to  be  made  in  cash, 
and  as  there  was  no  chaffering  about  prices,  this  busi 
ness  was  soon  concluded. 

As  to  the  Barnard  family,  Mr.  Burke  himself  under 
took  negotiations  with  them.  When  he  had  told  them 
of  the  handsome  lot  on  another  street  which  would  be 
given  them  in  exchange,  and  how  he  would  gently 

75 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

slide  their  house  to  the  new  location,  and  put  it  down 
on  any  part  of  the  lot  which  they  might  choose,  and 
guaranteed  that  it  should  be  moved  so  gently  that  the 
clocks  would  not  stop  ticking,  nor  the  tea  or  coffee 
spill  out  of  their  cups,  if  they  chose  to  take  their 
meals  on  board  during  the  voyage,  and  as,  further 
more,  he  promised  a  handsome  sum  to  recompense 
them  for  the  necessity  of  leaving  behind  their  well, 
which  he  could  not  undertake  to  move,  and  for  any 
minor  inconveniences  and  losses,  their  consent  to  the 
change  of  location  was  soon  obtained. 

Four  days  after  this  Burke  started  the  Barnard 
house  on  its  travels.  As  soon  as  he  had  made  his 
agreement  with  the  family,  he  had  brought  a  man 
down  from  Harrington  whose  business  it  was  to  move 
houses,  and  had  put  the  job  into  his  hands.  He  stipu 
lated  that  at  1  P.  M.  on  the  day  agreed  upon  the  house 
was  to  begin  to  move,  and  he  arranged  with  the  mason 
to  whom  he  had  given  the  contract  for  preparing  the 
cellar  on  the  new  lot,  that  he  should  begin  operations 
at  the  same  hour. 

He  then  offered  a  reward  of  two  hundred  dollars  to 
be  given  to  the  mover  if  he  got  his  house  to  its  desti 
nation  before  the  cellar  was  done,  or  to  the  mason  if  he 
finished  the  cellar  before  the  house  arrived. 

The  Barnards  had  an  early  dinner,  which  was  cooked 
on  a  kerosene  stove,  their  chimney  having  been  taken 
down,  but  they  had  not  finished  washing  the  dishes 
when  their  house  began  to  move. 

Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  ran  to  bid  them  good-by,  and 
all  the  Barnards,  old  and  young,  leaned  out  of  a  back 
window  and  shook  hands. 

Mr.  Burke  had  arranged  a  sort  of  gang-plank  with 

76 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

a  railing,  if  any  of  them  wanted  to  go  on  shore— that 
is,  step  on  terra  firma— during  the  voyage.  But 
Samuel  Rolands,  the  mover,  heedful  of  his  special 
prize,  urged  upon  them  not  to  get  out  any  oftener 
than  could  be  helped,  because  when  they  wished  to 
use  the  gang-plank  he  would  be  obliged  to  stop. 

There  were  two  boys  in  the  family,  who  were  able  to 
jump  off  and  on  whenever  they  pleased  ;  but  boys  are 
boys,  and  very  different  from  other  people. 

Houses  had  been  moved  in  Plainton  before,  but 
never  had  any  inhabitants  of  the  place  beheld  a  build 
ing  glide  along  upon  its  timber  course  with,  speaking 
comparatively,  the  rapidity  of  this  travelling  home. 

Most  of  the  citizens  of  the  place  who  had  leisure 
came  at  some  time  that  afternoon  to  look  at  the  mov 
ing  house,  and  many  of  them  walked  by  its  side, 
talking  to  the  Barnards,  who,  as  the  sun  was  warm, 
stood  at  an  open  window,  very  much  excited  by  the 
spirit  of  adventure,  and  quite  willing  to  converse. 

Over  and  over  they  assured  their  neighbors  that 
they  would  never  know  they  were  moving  if  they  did 
not  see  the  trees  and  things  slowly  passing  by  them. 

As  they  crossed  the  street  and  passed  between  two 
houses  on  the  opposite  side,  the  inhabitants  of  these 
gathered  at  their  windows,  and  the  conversation  was 
very  lively  with  the  Barnards,  as  the  house  of  the 
latter  passed  slowly  by. 

All  night  that  house  moved  on,  and  the  young 
people  of  the  village  accompanied  it  until  eleven 
o'clock,  when  the  Barnards  went  to  bed. 

Mr.  Burke  divided  his  time  between  watching  the 
moving  house— at  which  all  the  men  who  could  be  em 
ployed  in  any  way,  and  all  the  horses  which  could  be 

77 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

conveniently  attached  to  the  windlasses,  were  working 
in  watches  of  four  hours  each,  in  order  to  keep  them 
fresh  and  vigorous— and  the  lot  where  the  new  cellar 
was  being  constructed,  where  the  masons  continued 
their  labors  at  night,  by  the  light  of  lanterns  and  a 
blazing  bonfire  fed  with  resinous  pine. 

The  excitement  caused  by  these  two  scenes  of  activ 
ity  was  such  that  it  is  probable  that  few  of  the  people 
of  the  town  went  to  bed  sooner  than  the  Barnard 
family. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  two  Barnard  boys  looked 
out  of  the  window  of  their  bedroom,  and  saw  beneath 
them  the  Hastings7  barn-yard,  with  the  Hastings  boy 
milking.  They  were  so  excited  by  this  vision  that 
they  threw  their  shoes  and  stockings  out  at  him,  hav 
ing  no  other  missiles  convenient,  and  for  nearly  half 
an  hour  he  followed  that  house,  trying  to  toss  the 
articles  back  through  the  open  window,  while  the  cow 
stood  waiting  for  the  milking  to  be  finished. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  after  its  departure 
from  its  original  position,  the  Barnard  house  arrived 
on  the  new  lot,  and,  to  the  disgust  of  Samuel  Kolands, 
he  found  the  cellar  entirely  finished  and  ready  for  him 
to  place  the  house  upon  it.  But  Mr.  Burke,  who  had 
been  quite  sure  that  this  would  be  the  result  of  the 
competition,  comforted  him  by  telling  him  that,  as  he 
had  done  his  best,  he  too  should  have  a  prize  equal 
to  that  given  to  the  mason.  This  had  been  suggested 
by  Mrs.  Cliff,  because,  she  said,  they  were  both  hard 
working  men  with  families,  and  although  the  house- 
mover  was  not  a  citizen  of  Plainton,  he  had  once 
lived  there,  and  therefore  she  was  very  glad  of  this 
opportunity  of  helping  him  along. 

78 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

As  soon  as  this  important  undertaking  had  been 
finished,  Mr.  Burke  was  able  to  give  his  sole  attention 
to  the  new  dining-room  on  the  corner  lot.  He  and 
the  architect  had  worked  hard  upon  the  plans,  and 
when  they  were  finished  they  had  been  shown  to  Mrs. 
Cliff.  She  understood  them  in  a  general  way,  and  was 
very  glad  to  see  that  such  ample  provisions  had  been 
made  in  regard  to  closets,  though  she  was  not  able  to 
perceive  with  her  mind's  eye  the  exact  dimensions  of 
a  room  nineteen  by  twenty-seven,  nor  to  appreciate 
the  difference  between  a  ceiling  twelve  feet  high  and 
another  which  was  nine. 

However,  having  told  Mr.  Burke  and  the  architect 
what  she  wanted,  and  both  of  them  having  told  her 
what  she  ought  to  have,  she  determined  to  leave  the 
whole  matter  in  their  hands.  This  resolution  was 
greatly  approved  by  her  sailor  friend,  for,  as  the 
object  of  the  plan  of  construction  was  to  relieve  her 
of  all  annoyance  consequent  upon  building  operations, 
the  more  she  left  everything  to  those  who  delighted 
in  the  turmoil  of  construction,  the  better  it  would  be 
for  all. 

Everything  had  been  done  in  the  plans  to  prevent 
interference  with  the  neatness  and  comfort  of  Mrs. 
Cliff's  present  abode.  The  door  of  the  new  dining- 
room  was  so  arranged  that  when  it  was  moved  up  to 
the  old  house  it  would  come  against  a  door  in  the 
latter  which  opened  from  a  side  hall  upon  a  little 
porch.  This  porch  being  removed,  the  two  doors 
would  fit  exactly  to  each  other,  and  there  would  be 
none  of  the  dust  and  noise  consequent  upon  the  cut 
ting  away  of  walls. 

So  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  lived  on  in  peace,  comfort, 
79 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

and  quiet  in  their  old  home,  while  on  the  corner  lot 
there  was  hammering,  and  banging,  and  sawing  all 
day.  Mr.  Burke  would  have  had  this  work  go  on  by 
night,  but  the  contractor  refused.  His  men  would 
work  extra  hours  in  consideration  of  extra  induce 
ments,  but  good  carpenter  work,  he  declared,  could 
not  be  done  by  lantern-light. 

The  people  of  Plainton  did  not  at  all  understand 
the  operations  on  the  corner  lot.  Mr.  Burke  did  not 
tell  them  much  about  it,  and  the  contractor  was  not 
willing  to  talk.  He  had  some  doubts  in  regard  to 
the  scheme,  but  as  he  was  well  paid,  he  would  do  his 
best.  It  had  been  mentioned  that  the  new  building 
was  to  be  Mrs.  Cliff's  dining-room,  but  this  idea  soon 
faded  out  of  the  Plainton  mind,  which  was  not  adapted 
to  grasp  and  hold  it. 

Consequently,  as  Mr.  Burke  had  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  the  building,  and  as  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  appear  to 
be  concerned  in  it  at  all,  it  was  generally  believed 
that  the  gentleman  at  the  hotel  was  putting  up  a 
house  for  himself  on  the  corner  lot.  This  knowledge 
was  the  only  conclusion  which  would  explain  the  fact 
that  the  house  was  built  upon  smooth  horizontal 
timbers,  and  not  upon  a  stone  or  brick  foundation. 
A  man  who  had  been  a  sailor  might  fancy  to  build  a 
house  something  as  he  would  build  a  ship  in  a  ship 
yard,  and  not  attach  it  permanently  to  the  earth. 


80 


CHAPTEE   IX 

A  MEETING  OF   HEIRS 

WHILE  the  building  operations  were  going  on  at  such 
a  rapid  rate  on  the  corner  lot,  Mrs.  Cliff  tried  to  make 
herself  as  happy  as  possible  in  her  own  home.  She 
liked  having  enough  servants  to  do  all  the  work,  and 
relieve  both  her  and  Willy.  She  liked  to  be  able  to 
drive  out  when  she  wanted  to,  or  to  invite  a  few  of  her 
friends  to  dinner  or  to  tea,  and  to  give  them  the 
very  best  the  markets  afforded  of  everything  she 
thought  they  might  like.  But  she  was  not  a  satisfied 
woman. 

It  was  true  that  Mr.  Burke  was  doing  all  that  he 
could  with  her  money,  and  doing  it  well,  she  had  not 
the  slightest  doubt ;  but,  after  all,  a  new  dining-room 
was  a  matter  of  small  importance.  She  had  fears  that, 
even  after  it  was  all  finished  and  paid  for,  she  would 
find  that  her  income  had  gained  upon  her. 

As  often  as  once  a  day  the  argument  came  to  her 
that  it  would  be  wise  for  her  to  give  away  the  bulk 
of  her  fortune  in  charity,  and  thus  rid  herself  of  the 
necessity  for  this  depressing  struggle  between  her 
desire  to  live  as  she  wanted  to  live,  and  the  obliga 
tions  to  herself  under  which  her  fortune  placed  her. 

81 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

But  she  could  not  consent  to  part  thus  with  her  great 
fortune.  She  would  not  turn  her  back  upon  her 
golden  opportunities.  As  soon  as  she  had  so  deter 
mined  her  life  that  the  assertion  of  her  riches  would 
not  interfere  with  her  domestic  and  social  affairs,  she 
would  be  charitable  enough— she  would  do  good  works 
upon  a  large  scale.  But  she  must  first  determine  what 
she  was  to  do  for  herself,  and  so  let  her  charities  begin 
at  home. 

This  undecided  state  of  mind  did  not  have  a  good 
effect  upon  her  general  appearance,  and  it  was  fre 
quently  remarked  that  her  health  was  not  what  it 
used  to  be.  Miss  Nancy  Shott  thought  there  was 
nothing  to  wonder  at  in  this.  Mrs.  Cliff  had  never 
been  accustomed  to  spend  money,  and  it  was  easy  to 
see,  from  the  things  she  had  bought  abroad  and  put 
into  that  little  house,  that  she  had  expended  a  good 
deal  more  than  she  could  afford,  and  no  wonder  she 
was  troubled,  and  no  wonder  she  was  looking  thin  and 
sick. 

Other  friends,  however,  did  not  entirely  agree  with 
Miss  Shott.  They  thought  their  old  friend  was 
entirely  too  sensible  a  woman  to  waste  a  fortune, 
whether  it  had  been  large  or  small,  which  had  come 
to  her  in  so  wonderful  a  manner,  and  they  believed 
she  had  money  enough  to  live  on  very  comfortably. 
If  this  were  not  the  case,  she  would  never  consent  to 
keep  a  carriage  almost  for  Willy  Croup's  sole  use. 

They  thought,  perhaps,  that  the  example  and  com 
panionship  of  Mr.  Burke  might  have  had  an  effect 
upon  her.  It  was  as  likely  as  not  that  she  had  borne 
part  of  the  expense  of  moving  the  Barnard  house,  so 
that  there  should  be  nothing  between  her  and  the 

82 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

new  building.  But  this,  as  they  said  themselves,  was 
mere  surmise.  Mr.  Burke  might  fancy  large  grounds, 
and  he  was  certainly  able  to  have  them  if  he  wanted 
them.  Whatever  people  said  and  thought  about  Mrs. 
Cliff  and  her  money,  it  was  generally  believed  that 
she  was  in  comfortable  circumstances.  Still,  it  had  to 
be  admitted  that  she  was  getting  on  in  years. 

Now  arose  a  very  important  question  among  the 
gossips  of  Plainton  :  Who  was  to  be  Mrs.  Cliff's  heir  ? 

Everybody  knew  that  Mrs.  Cliff  had  but  one  blood- 
relation  living,  and  that  was  Willy  Croup,  and  no  one 
who  had  given  any  thought  whatever  to  the  subject 
believed  that  Willy  Croup  would  be  her  heir.  Her 
husband  had  some  distant  relatives,  but,  as  they  had 
had  nothing  to  do  with  Mrs.  Cliff  during  the  days  of 
her  adversity,  it  was  not  likely  that  she  would  now 
have  anything  to  do  with  them,  especially  as  any 
money  she  had  to  leave  did  not  come  through  her 
husband. 

But  although  the  simple-minded  Willy  Croup  was 
a  person  who  would  not  know  how  to  take  care  of 
money  if  she  had  it,  and  although  everybody  knew 
that  if  Mrs.  Cliff  made  a  will  she  would  never  think 
of  leaving  her  property  to  Willy,  still,  everybody  who 
thought  or  talked  about  the  matter  saw  the  appalling 
fact  staring  them  in  their  faces,  that  if  Mrs.  Cliff  died 
without  a  will,  Willy  would  inherit  her  possessions  ! 

The  more  it  was  considered,  the  more  did  this  un 
pleasant  contingency  trouble  the  minds  of  certain  of 
the  female  citizens  of  Plainton.  Miss  Gushing,  the 
principal  dressmaker  of  the  place,  was  greatly  con 
cerned  upon  this  subject,  and  as  her  parlor,  where  she 
generally  sat  at  her  work,  was  a  favorite  resort  of 

83 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

certain  ladies,  who  sometimes  had  orders  to  give,  and 
always  had  a  great  deal  to  say,  it  was  natural  that 
those  good  women  who  took  most  to  heart  Mrs.  Cliff's 
heirless  condition  should  think  of  Miss  Gushing  when 
ever  they  were  inclined  to  talk  upon  the  subject. 

Miss  Shott  dropped  in  there  one  day  with  a  very 
doleful  countenance.  That  very  morning  she  had 
passed  Mrs.  Cliff's  house  on  the  other  side  of  the  way, 
and  had  seen  that  poor  widow  standing  in  her  front 
yard,  with  the  most  dejected  and  miserable  counte 
nance  she  had  ever  seen  on  a  human  being. 

People  might  talk  as  much  as  they  pleased  about 
Mrs.  Cliff  being  troubled  because  she  had  spent  too 
much  money.  That  all  might  be,  or  it  might  not  be, 
but  it  was  not  the  reason  for  that  woman  looking  as  if 
she  was  just  ready  to  drop  into  a  sick-bed.  When 
people  go  to  the  most  unhealthy  regions  in  the  whole 
world,  and  live  in  holes  in  the  ground  like  hedgehogs, 
they  cannot  expect  to  come  home  without  seeds  of 
disease  in  their  system,  which  are  bound  to  come  out. 
And  that  those  seeds  were  now  coming  out  in  Mrs. 
Cliff  no  sensible  person  could  look  at  her  and  deny. 

When  Miss  Gushing  heard  this,  she  felt  more  strongly 
convinced  than  ever  of  the  importance  of  the  subject 
upon  which  she  and  some  of  her  friends  had  been  talk 
ing.  But  she  said  nothing  in  regard  to  that  subject  to 
Miss  Shott.  What  she  had  to  say,  and  what  she  had 
already  said,  about  the  future  of  Mrs.  Cliff's  property, 
and  what  her  particular  friends  had  said,  were  mat 
ters  which  none  of  them  wanted  repeated,  and  when 
a  citizen  of  Plainton  did  not  wish  anything  repeated, 
it  was  not  told  to  Miss  Shott. 

But  after  Miss  Shott  had  gone,  there  came  in  Mrs. 
84 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Ferguson,  a  widow  lady,  and  shortly  afterwards 
Miss  Inchman,  a  middle-aged  spinster,  accompanied  by 
Mrs.  Wells  and  Mrs.  Archibald,  these  latter  both 
worthy  matrons  of  the  town.  Mrs.  Archibald  really 
came  to  talk  to  Miss  Gushing  about  a  winter  dress,  but 
during  the  subsequent  conversation  she  made  no  refer 
ence  to  this  errand. 

Miss  Gushing  was  relating  to  Mrs.  Ferguson  what 
Nancy  had  told  her  when  the  other  ladies  came  in,  but 
Nancy  Shott  had  stopped  in  at  each  of  their  houses 
and  had  already  given  them  the  information. 

"Nancy  always  makes  out  things  a  good  deal  worse 
than  they  are,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald,  "but  there's 
truth  in  what  she  says.  Mrs.  Cliff  is  failing ;  every 
body  can  see  that ! " 

"Of  course  they  can,"  said  Miss  Gushing,  "and  I  say 
that  if  she  has  any  friends  in  Plainton,— and  every 
body  knows  she  has,— it's  time  for  them  to  do  some 
thing  ! " 

"The  trouble  is  what  to  do,  and  who  is  to  do  it," 
remarked  Mrs.  Ferguson. 

"What  to  do  is  easy  enough,"  said  Miss  Gushing, 
"but  who  is  to  do  it  is  another  matter." 

"And  what  would  you  do  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Wells.  "If 
she  feels  she  needs  a  doctor,  she  has  sense  enough  to 
send  for  one  without  waiting  until  her  friends  speak 
about  it." 

"The  doctor  is  a  different  thing  altogether ! "  said 
Miss  Gushing.  "If  he  comes  and  cures  her,  that's 
neither  here  nor  there.  It  isn't  the  point !  But  the 
danger  is  that,  whether  he  comes  or  not,  she  is  a 
woman  well  on  in  years,  with  a  constitution  breaking 
down  under  her,— that  is,  as  far  as  appearances  go,  for, 

85 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

of  course,  I  can't  say  anything  positive  about  it,— and 
she  has  nobody  to  inherit  her  money,  and,  as  far  as 
anybody  knows,  she  has  never  made  a  will ! " 

"Oh,  she  has  never  made  a  will,"  said  Mrs.  Wells, 
"because  my  John  is  in  the  office,  and  if  Mrs.  Cliff 
had  ever  come  there  on  such  business,  he  would  know 
about  it." 

"But  she  ought  to  make  a  will,"  said  Miss  Gushing. 
"That's  the  long  and  short  of  it.  And  she  ought  to 
have  a  friend  who  would  tell  her  so.  That  would  be 
no  more  than  a  Christian  duty  which  any  one  of  us 
would  owe  to  another,  if  cases  were  changed." 

"I  don't  look  upon  Mrs.  Cliff  as  such  a  very  old 
woman,"  said  Miss  Inchman,  "but  I  agree  with  you 
that  this  thing  ought  to  be  put  before  her.  Willy 
Croup  will  never  do  it,  and  really,  if  some  one  of  us 
don't,  I  don't  know  who  will." 

"There's  Mrs.  Perley,"  said  Mrs.  Archibald. 

"Oh,  she'd  never  do ! "  struck  in  Miss  Gushing. 
"Mrs.  Perley  is  too  timid.  She  would  throw  it  off  on 
her  husband,  and  if  he  talks  to  Mrs.  Cliff  about  a  will, 
her  money  will  all  go  to  the  church  or  to  some  charity. 
I  should  say  that  one  of  us  ought  to  take  on  herself 
this  friendly  duty.  Of  course,  it  would  not  do  to  go 
to  her  and  blurt  out  that  we  all  thought  she  would 
not  live  very  long,  and  that  she  ought  to  make  her 
will,  but  conversation  could  be  led  to  the  matter,  and 
when  Mrs.  Cliff  got  to  consider  her  own  case,  I  haven't 
a  doubt  but  that  she  would  be  glad  to  have  advice 
and  help  from  an  old  friend." 

All  agreed  that  this  was  a  very  correct  view  of  the 
case,  but  not  one  of  them  volunteered  to  go  and  talk 
to  Mrs.  Cliff  on  the  subject.  This  was  not  from  timid- 

86 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

ity,  nor  from  an  unwillingness  to  meddle  in  other 
people's  business,  but  from  a  desire  on  the  part  of 
each  not  to  injure  herself  in  Mrs.  Cliff's  eyes  by  any 
action  which  might  indicate  that  she  had  a  personal 
interest  in  the  matter. 

Miss  Gushing  voiced  the  opinion  of  the  company 
when  she  said :  "When  a  person  has  no  heirs,  rela 
tives  ought  to  be  considered  first,  but  if  there  are 
none  of  these,  or  if  they  aren't  suitable,  then  friends 
•should  come  in.  Of  course,  I  mean  the  oldest  and 
best  friends  of  the  party  without  heirs." 

No  remark  immediately  followed  this,  for  each  lady 
was  thinking  that  she,  probably  more  than  any  one 
else  in  Plainton,  had  a  claim  upon  Mrs.  Cliff's  atten 
tion  if  she  were  leaving  her  property  to  her  friends, 
as  she  certainly  ought  to  do. 

In  years  gone  by  Mrs.  Cliff  had  been  a  very  kind 
friend  to  Miss  Gushing,— she  had  loaned  her  money, 
and  assisted  her  in  various  ways,— and  since  her  return 
to  Plainton  she  had  put  a  great  deal  of  work  into  Miss 
Cushing's  hands.  Dress  after  dress  for  Willy  Croup 
had  been  made,  and  material  for  others  was  still  lying 
in  the  house ;  and  Mrs.  Cliff  herself  had  ordered  so 
much  work  that  at  this  moment  Miss  Cushing  had 
two  girls  up-stairs  sewing  diligently  upon  it. 

Having  experienced  all  this  kindness,  Miss  Cushing 
felt  that  if  Mrs.  Cliff  left  any  of  her  money  to  her 
friends,  she  would  certainly  remember  her,  and  that 
right  handsomely.  If  anybody  spoke  to  Mrs.  Cliff 
upon  the  subject,  she  would  insist,  and  she  thought 
she  had  a  right  to  insist,  that  her  name  should  be 
brought  in  prominently. 

Mrs.  Ferguson  had  also  well-defined  opinions  upon 
87 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

the  subject.  She  had  two  daughters  who  were  more 
than  half  grown,  who  had  learned  all  that  they  could  be 
taught  in  Plainton,  and  she  was  very  anxious  to  send 
them  away  to  school,  where  their  natural  talents  could 
be  properly  cultivated.  She  felt  that  she  owed  a  deep 
and  solemn  duty  to  these  girls,  and  she  had  already 
talked  to  Mrs.  Cliff  about  them. 

The  latter  had  taken  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  the 
matter,  and  although  she  had  not  said  she  would  help 
Mrs.  Ferguson  properly  to  educate  these  girls,  for  she 
had  not  asked  her  help,  she  had  taken  so  much  interest 
in  the  matter  that  their  mother  had  great  hopes. 
And  if  this  widow  without  any  children  felt  inclined 
to  assist  the  children  of  others  during  her  life,  how 
much  more  willing  would  she  be  likely  to  be  to  ap 
propriate  a  portion  of  what  she  left  behind  her  to  such 
an  object ! 

Mrs.  Wells  and  Mrs.  Archibald  had  solid  claims 
upon  Mrs.  Cliff.  It  was  known  that  shortly  after  the 
death  of  her  husband,  when  she  found  it  difficult  to 
make  collections,  and  was  very  much  in  need  of  money 
for  immediate  expenses,  they  had  each  made  loans  to 
her.  It  is  true  that  even  before  she  started  for  South 
America  she  had  repaid  these  loans  with  full  legal 
interest.  But  the  two  matrons  could  not  forget  that 
they  had  been  kind  to  her,  nor  did  they  believe  that 
Mrs.  Cliff  had  forgotten  what  they  had  done,  for  the 
presents  she  had  brought  them  from  France  were 
generally  considered  as  being  more  beautiful  and 
more  valuable  than  those  given  to  anybody  else? 
except  the  Thorpdykes  and  the  Perleys.  This  indi 
cated  a  very  gratifying  gratitude,  upon  which  the  two 

88 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

ladies,  each  for  herself,  had  every  right  to  build  very 
favorable  hopes. 

Miss  Inchman  and  Mrs.  Cliff  had  been  school -fellows, 
and  when  they  were  both  grown  young  women  there 
had  been  a  good  deal  of  doubt  which  one  of  them 
William  Cliff  would  marry.  He  made  his  choice,  and 
Susan  Inchman  never  showed  by  word  or  deed  that 
she  begrudged  him  to  her  friend,  to  whom  she  had 
always  endeavored  to  show  just  as  much  kindly  feeling 
as  if  there  had  been  two  William  Cliffs,  and  each  of 
the  young  women  had  secured  one  of  them.  If  Mrs. 
Cliff,  now  a  widow  with  money  enough  to  live  well 
upon  and  keep  a  carriage,  was  making  out  her  will, 
and  was  thinking  of  her  friends  in  Plainton,  it  would 
be  impossible  for  her  to  forget  one  who  was  the  oldest 
friend  of  all. 

So  it  is  easy  to  see  why  she  did  not  want  to  go  to 
Mrs.  Cliff  and  prejudice  her  against  herself  by  stating 
that  she  ought  to  make  a  will  for  the  benefit  of  the 
old  friends  who  had  always  loved  and  respected  her. 

Miss  Gushing  now  spoke.  She  knew  what  each 
member  of  the  little  company  was  thinking  about, 
and  she  felt  that  it  might  as  well  be  spoken  of. 

"It  does  seem  to  me,"  said  she,— "and  I  never  would 
have  thought  of  it  if  it  hadn't  been  for  the  talk  we 
had,— that  we  five  are  the  persons  that  Mrs.  Cliff 
would  naturally  mention  in  her  will,  not,  perhaps, 
regarding  any  money  she  might  have  to  leave—" 

"I  don't  see  why  ! "  interrupted  Mrs.  Ferguson. 

"Well,  that's  neither  here  nor  there,"  continued 
Miss  Gushing.  "Money  is  money,  and  nobody  knows 
what  people  will  do  with  it  when  they  die,  and  if  she 

89 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

leaves  anything  to  the  church  or  to  charity,  it's  her 
money  !  But  I'm  sure  that  Mrs.  Cliff  has  too  much  hard 
sense  to  order  her  executors  to  sell  all  the  beautiful 
rugs,  and  table-covers,  and  glass,  and  china,  and  the 
dear  knows  what  besides  is  in  her  house  at  this  mo 
ment  !  They  wouldn't  bring  anything  at  a  sale,  and 
she  would  naturally  think  of  leaving  them  to  her 
friends.  Some  might  get  more  and  some  might  get 
less,  but  we  five  in  this  room  at  this  present  moment 
are  the  old  friends  that  Mrs.  Cliff  would  naturally 
remember.  And  if  any  one  of  us  ever  sees  fit  to  speak 
to  her  on  the  subject,  we're  the  people  who  should  be 
mentioned  when  the  proper  opportunity  comes  to 
make  such  mention." 

"You're  forgetting  Willy  Croup,"  said  Mrs.  Wells. 

"No,"  answered  Miss  Gushing,  a  little  sharply,  "I 
don't  forget  her,  but  I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  her. 
I  don't  suppose  she'll  be  forgotten,  but  whatever  is 
done  for  her,  or  whatever  is  not  done  for  her,  is  not 
our  business.  It's  my  private  opinion,  however,  that 
she's  had  a  good  deal  already  ! " 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Ferguson,  "I  suppose  that  what 
you  say  is  all  right— at  least,  I've  no  objections  to  any 
of  it  ;  but  whoever's  going  to  speak  to  her,  it  mustn't 
be  me,  because  she  knows  I've  daughters  to  educate, 
and  she'd  naturally  think  that  if  I  spoke  I  was  prin 
cipally  speaking  for  myself,  and  that  would  set  her 
against  me,  which  I  wouldn't  do  for  the  world.  And, 
whatever  other  people  may  say,  I  believe  she  will  have 
money  to  leave." 

Miss  Cushing  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then 
spoke  up  boldly. 

"It's  my  opinion,"  said  she,  "that  Miss  Inchman  is 

90 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

the  proper  person  to  speak  to  Mrs.  Cliff  on  this  im 
portant  subject.  She's  known  her  all  her  life,  from 
the  time  when  they  were  little  girls  together,  and 
when  they  were  both  grown  she  made  sacrifices  for 
her  which  none  of  the  rest  of  us  had  the  chance  to 
make.  Now,  for  Miss  Inchman  to  go  and  open  the 
subject  in  a  gradual  and  friendly  way  would  be  the 
right  and  proper  thing,  no  matter  how  you  look  at  it, 
and  it's  my  opinion  that  we  who  are  now  here  should 
ask  her  to  go  and  speak,  not  in  our  names,  perhaps, 
but  out  of  good  will  and  kindness  to  us  as  well  as  to 
Mrs.  Cliff." 

Mrs.  Wells  was  a  lady  who  was  in  the  habit  of  say 
ing  things  at  the  wrong  time,  and  she  now  remarked  : 
"We've  forgotten  the  Thorpdykes  !  You  know,  Mrs. 
Cliff-" 

Miss  Gushing  leaned  forward,  her  face  reddening. 
"Bother  the  Thorpdykes  ! "  she  exclaimed.  "They're 
no  more  than  acquaintances,  and  ought  not  to  be 
spoken  of  at  all.  And  as  for  Mrs.  Perley,  if  any  one's 
thinking  of  her,  she's  only  been  here  four  years,  and 
that  gives  her  no  claim  whatever,  considering  that 
we've  been  lifelong  friends  and  neighbors  of  Sarah  Cliff. 
And  now,  in  behalf  of  all  of  us,  I  ask  you,  Miss 
Inchman,  will  you  speak  to  Mrs.  Cliff?  " 

Miss  Inchman  was  rather  a  small  woman,  spare  in 
figure,  and  she  wore  glasses,  which  seemed  to  be  of  a 
peculiar  kind,  for  while  they  enabled  her  to  see 
through  them  into  surrounding  space,  they  did  not 
allow  people  who  looked  at  her  to  see  through  them 
into  her  eyes.  People  often  remarked  that  you  could 
not  tell  the  color  of  Miss  Inchman's  eyes  when  she  had 
her  spectacles  on. 

91 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

Thus  it  was  that,  although  her  eyes  were  sometimes 
brighter  than  at  other  times,  and  this  could  be  noticed 
through  her  spectacles,  it  was  difficult  to  understand 
her  expression  and  to  discover  whether  she  was  angry 
or  amused. 

Now  Miss  Inchman's  eyes  behind  her  spectacles 
brightened  very  much  as  she  looked  from  Miss  Gush 
ing  to  the  other  members  of  the  little  party  who  had 
constituted  themselves  the  heirs  of  Mrs.  Cliff.  None 
of  them  could  judge  from  her  face  what  she  was  likely 
to  say,  but  they  all  waited  to  hear  what  she  would 
say.  At  this  moment  the  door  opened,  and  Mrs.  Cliff 
entered  the  parlor. 


92 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   INTELLECT  OF  MISS  INOHMAN 

IT  was  true  that  on  that  morning  Mrs.  Cliff  had  been 
standing  in  her  front  yard,  looking  as  her  best  friends 
would  not  have  liked  her  to  look.  There  was  nothing 
physically  the  matter  with  her,  but  she  was  dissatis 
fied  and  somewhat  disturbed  in  her  mind.  Mr.  Burke 
was  so  busy  nowadays  that  when  he  stopped  in  to  see 
her  it  was  only  for  a  few  minutes,  and  Willy  Croup 
had  developed  a  great  facility  in  discovering  things 
which  ought  to  be  attended  to  in  various  parts  of  the 
town,  and  of  going  to  attend  to  them,  with  Andrew 
Marks  to  drive  her. 

Not  only  did  Mrs.  Cliff  feel  that  she  was  left  more 
to  herself  than  she  liked,  but  she  had  the  novel  ex 
perience  of  not  being  able  to  find  interesting  occupa 
tion.  She  was  glad  to  have  servants  who  could  perform 
all  the  household  duties,  and  could  have  done  more  if 
they  had  had  a  chance.  Still,  it  was  unpleasant  to 
feel  that  she  herself  could  do  so  little  to  fill  up  her 
unoccupied  moments.  So  she  put  on  a  shawl  and 
went  into  her  front  yard,  simply  to  walk  about  and 
get  a  little  of  the  fresh  air.  But  when  she  went  out 

93 


MRS.    CLIFFS   YACHT 

of  the  door,  she  stood  still,  contemplating  the  front 
fence. 

Here  was  a  fence  which  had  been  an  eyesore  to  her 
for  two  or  three  years  !  She  believed  she  had  money 
enough  to  fence  in  the  whole  State,  and  yet  those 
shabby  palings  and  posts  must  offend  her  eye  every 
time  she  came  out  of  her  door !  The  flowers  were 
nearly  all  dead  now,  and  she  would  have  had  a  new 
fence  immediately,  but  Mr.  Burke  had  dissuaded  her, 
saying  that  when  the  new  dining-room  was  brought 
over  from  the  corner  lot,  there  would  have  to  be  a 
fence  around  the  whole  premises,  and  it  would  be 
better  to  have  it  all  done  at  once. 

"There  are  so  many  things  which  I  can  afford  just 
as  well  as  not,'7  she  said  to  herself,  "and  which  I  can 
not  do  ! "  And  it  was  the  unmistakably  doleful  ex 
pression  upon  her  countenance,  as  she  thought  this, 
which  was  the  foundation  of  Miss  Shott's  remarks  to 
her  neighbors  on  the  subject  of  Mrs.  ClifPs  probable 
early  demise. 

Miss  Shott  was  passing  on  the  other  side  of  the 
street,  and  she  was  walking  rapidly,  but  she  could  see 
more  out  of  the  corner  of  her  eye  than  most  people 
could  see  when  they  were  looking  straight  before  them 
at  the  same  things. 

Suddenly  Mrs.  Cliff  determined  that  she  must  do 
something.  She  felt  blue— she  wanted  to  talk  to 
somebody.  Feeling  thus,  she  naturally  went  into  the 
house,  put  on  her  bonnet  and  her  wrap,  and  walked 
down  to  see  Miss  Gushing.  There  was  not  anything 
in  particular  that  she  wanted  to  see  her  about,  but 
there  was  work  going  on,  and  she  might  talk  about  it, 
or  it  might  happen  that  she  would  be  inclined  to  give 

94 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

some  orders.  She  was  always  glad  to  do  anything  she 
could  to  help  that  hard-working  and  kind-hearted 
neighbor ! 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  entered  the  parlor  of  Miss  Gushing, 
five  women  each  gave  a  sudden  start.  The  dress 
maker  was  so  thrown  off  her  balance  that  she  dropped 
her  sewing  on  the  floor,  and,  rising,  went  forward  to 
shake  her  visitor  by  the  hand,  a  thing  she  was  not  in 
the  habit  of  doing  to  anybody,  because,  as  is  well 
known  to  all  the  world,  a  person  who  is  sewing  for  a 
livelihood  cannot  get  up  to  shake  hands  with  the 
friends  and  acquaintances  who  may  happen  in  upon 
her.  At  this  the  other  ladies  rose  and  shook  hands, 
and  it  might  have  been  supposed  that  the  newcomer 
had  just  returned  from  a  long  absence.  Then  Miss 
Gushing  gave  Mrs.  Cliff  a  chair,  and  they  all  sat  down 
again. 

Mrs.  Cliff  looked  about  her  with  a  smile.  The  sight 
of  these  old  friends  cheered  her.  All  her  blues  were 
beginning  to  fade,  as  that  color  always  fades  in  any 
kind  of  sunshine. 

"Pm  glad  to  see  so  many  of  you  together,"  she  said. 
"It  almost  seems  as  if  you  were  having  some  sort  of 
meeting.  What  is  it  about— can't  I  join  in?  " 

At  this  there  was  a  momentary  silence  which  threat 
ened  to  become  very  embarrassing  if  it  continued  a 
few  seconds  more,  and  Miss  Cushing  was  on  the  point 
of  telling  the  greatest  lie  of  her  career,  trusting  that 
the  other  heirs  would  stand  by  her  and  support  her 
in  whatever  statements  she  made,  feeling  as  they 
must  the  absolute  necessity  of  saying  something  in 
stantly.  But  Miss  Inchman  spoke  before  any  one  else 
had  a  chance  to  do  so. 

95 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"You're  right,  Mrs.  Cliff,"  said  she,  "we  are  con 
sidering  something.  We  didn't  come  here  on  purpose 
to  talk  about  it,  but  we  happened  in  together,  and  so 
we  thought  we  would  talk  it  over.  And  we  all  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  something  which  ought 
to  be  mentioned  to  you,  and  I  was  asked  to  speak  to 
you  about  it." 

Four  simultaneous  gasps  were  now  heard  in  that 
little  parlor,  and  four  chills  ran  down  the  backs  of 
four  self-constituted  heirs. 

"I  must  say,  Susan,"  remarked  Mrs.  Cliff,  with  a 
good-humored  smile,  "if  you  want  me  to  do  anything, 
there's  no  need  of  being  so  wonderfully  formal  about 
it !  If  any  one  of  you,  or  all  of  you  together,  for  that 
matter,  have  anything  to  say  to  me,  all  you  had  to  do 
was  to  come  and  say  it." 

"They  didn't  seem  to  think  that  way,"  said  Miss 
Inchman.  "They  all  thought  that  what  was  to  be 
said  would  come  better  from  me,  because  I'd  known 
you  so  long,  and  we  had  grown  up  together." 

"It  must  be  something  out  of  the  common,"  said 
Mrs.  Cliff.  "What  in  the  world  can  it  be?  If  you 
are  to  speak,  Susan,  speak  out  at  once !  Let's  have 
it!" 

"That's  just  what  I'm  going  to  do,"  said  Miss  Inch 
man. 

If  Mrs.  Cliff  had  looked  around  at  the  four  heirs, 
who  were  sitting  upright  in  their  chairs,  gazing  in 
horror  at  Miss  Inchman,  she  would  have  been  startled, 
and,  perhaps,  frightened.  But  she  did  not  see  them. 
She  was  so  much  interested  in  what  her  old  friend 
Susan  was  saying  that  she  gave  to  her  her  whole 
attention. 

96 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

But  now  that  their  appointed  spokeswoman  had 
announced  her  intention  of  immediately  declaring 
the  object  of  the  meeting,  each  one  of  them  felt  that 
this  was  no  place  for  her  !  But,  notwithstanding  this 
feeling,  not  one  of  them  moved  to  go.  Miss  Gushing, 
of  course,  had  no  excuse  for  leaving,  for  this  was  her 
own  house ;  and  although  the  others  might  have 
pleaded  errands,  a  power  stronger  than  their  disposi 
tion  to  fly— stronger  even  than  their  fears  of  what 
Mrs.  Cliff  might  say  to  them  when  she  knew  all— kept 
them  in  their  seats.  The  spell  of  self-interest  was  upon 
them  and  held  them  fast.  Whatever  was  said  and 
whatever  was  done,  they  must  be  there !  At  this 
supreme  moment  they  could  not  leave  the  room. 
They  nerved  themselves,  they  breathed  hard,  and 
listened ! 

"You  see,  Sarah,"  said  Miss  Inchman,  "we  must  all 
die ! " 

"That's  no  new  discovery,"  answered  Mrs.  Cliff, 
and  the  remark  seemed  to  her  so  odd  that  she  looked 
around  at  the  rest  of  the  company  to  see  how  they 
took  it,  and  she  was  thereupon  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  some  of  them  had  not  thought  of  this  great 
truth  of  late,  and  that  its  sudden  announcement  had 
thrown  them  into  a  shocked  solemnity. 

But  the  soul  of  Miss  Gushing  was  more  than  shocked 
—it  was  filled  with  fury  !  If  there  had  been  in  that 
room  at  that  instant  a  loaded  gun  pointed  toward 
Miss  Inchman,  Miss  Gushing  would  have  pulled  the 
trigger.  This  would  have  been  wicked,  she  well 
knew,  and  contrary  to  her  every  principle,  but  never 
before  had  she  been  confronted  by  such  treachery ! 

"Well,"  continued  Miss  Inchman,  "as  we  must  die, 
97 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

we  ought  to  make  ourselves  ready  for  it  in  every  way 
that  we  can.  And  we've  been  thinking—'' 

At  this  moment  the  endurance  of  Mrs.  Ferguson 
gave  way.  The  pace  and  the  strain  were  too  great  for 
her.  Each  of  the  others  had  herself  to  think  for,  but 
she  had  not  only  herself,  but  two  daughters.  She 
gave  a  groan,  her  head  fell  back,  her  eyes  closed,  and, 
with  a  considerable  thump,  she  slipped  from  her  chair 
to  the  floor.  Instantly  every  one  screamed  and  sprang 
toward  her. 

"What  in  the  world  is  the  matter  with  her ?  "  cried 
Mrs.  Cliff,  as  she  assisted  the  others  to  raise  the  head 
of  the  fainting  woman  and  to  loosen  her  dress. 

"Oh,  I  suppose  it's  the  thought  of  her  late  hus 
band  ! "  promptly  replied  Miss  Inchman,  who  felt  that 
it  devolved  on  her  to  say  something,  and  that  quickly. 

Mrs.  Cliff  looked  up  in  amazement. 

"And  what  has  Mr.  Ferguson  to  do  with  anything  ?  " 
she  asked. 

"Oh,  it's  the  new  cemetery  I  was  going  to  talk  to 
you  about,"  said  Miss  Inchman.  "It  has  been  spoken 
of  a  good  deal  since  you  went  away,  and  we  all  thought 
that  if  you'd  agree  to  go  into  it—" 

"Go  into  it ! "  cried  Mrs.  Cliff,  in  horror. 

"I  mean,  join  with  the  people  who  are  in  favor  of 
it,"  said  Miss  Inchman.  "I  haven't  time  to  explain 
—she's  coming  to  now,  if  you'll  all  let  her  alone.  All 
I've  time  to  say  is  that  those  who  had  husbands  in 
the  old  graveyard,  and  might  perhaps  be  inclined  to 
move  them  and  put  up  monuments,  had  the  right  to 
be  first  spoken  to— although,  of  course,  it's  a  subject 
which  everybody  doesn't  care  to  speak  about,  and  as 
for  Mrs.  Ferguson,  it's  no  wonder,  knowing  her  as  we 

98 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

do,  that  she  went  off  in  this  way  when  she  knew  what 
I  was  going  to  say,  although,  in  fact,  I  wasn't  in  the 
least  thinking  of  Mr.  Ferguson  ! " 

The  speaker  had  barely  time  to  finish  before  the 
unfortunate  lady  who  had  fainted  opened  her  eyes, 
looked  about  her,  and  asked  where  she  was.  And 
now  that  she  had  revived,  no  further  reference  could 
be  made  to  the  unfortunate  subject  which  had  caused 
her  to  swoon. 

"I  don't  see,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  as  she  stood  outside 
with  Miss  Inchman,  a  few  minutes  later,  "why  Mr. 
Ferguson's  removal— I'm  sure  it  isn't  necessary  to 
make  it  if  she  doesn't  want  to— should  trouble  Mrs. 
Ferguson  any  more  than  the  thought  of  Mr.  Cliff's 
removal  troubles  me.  I'm  perfectly  willing  to  do 
what  I  can  for  the  new  cemetery,  and  nobody  need 
think  I'm  such  a  nervous,  hysterical  person  that  I'm 
in  danger  of  popping  over  if  the  subject  is  mentioned 
to  me.  So  when  you  all  are  ready  to  have  another 
meeting,  I  hope  you  will  let  me  know ! " 

When  Mrs.  Ferguson  felt  herself  well  enough  to  sit 
up  and  take  a  glass  of  water  with  something  stimu 
lating  in  it,  she  was  informed  of  the  nature  of  the 
statements  which  had  been  finally  made  to  Mrs.  Cliff. 

"You  know,  of  course,"  added  Miss  Gushing,  still 
pale  from  unappeased  rage,  "that  that  Susan  Inchman 
began  as  she  did  just  to  spite  us  ! " 

"It's  just  like  her  ! "  said  Mrs.  Archibald.  "But  I 
never  could  have  believed  that  such  a  dried  codfish  of 
a  woman  could  have  so  much  intellect ! " 


99 


CHAPTER   XI 

THE  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  NEW  DINING-ROOM 

THE  little  meeting  at  the  house  of  Miss  Cushing  re 
sulted  in  something  very  different  from  the  anticipa 
tions  of  those  ladies  who  had  consulted  together  for 
the  purpose  of  constituting  themselves  the  heirs  of 
Mrs.  Cliff. 

That  good  lady,  being  then  very  much  in  want  of 
something  to  do,  was  so  pleased  with  the  idea  of  a  new 
cemetery  that  she  entered  into  the  scheme  with  great 
earnestness.  She  was  particularly  pleased  with  this 
opportunity  of  making  good  use  of  her  money,  be 
cause,  having  been  asked  by  others  to  join  them  in  this 
work,  she  was  not  obliged  to  pose  as  a  self-appointed 
public  benefactor. 

Mrs.  Cliff  worked  so  well  in  behalf  of  the  new  ceme 
tery,  and  subscribed  so  much  money  toward  it,  through 
Mr.  Perley,  that  it  was  not  many  months  before  it 
became  the  successor  to  the  little  crowded  graveyard 
near  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  the  remains  of  Mr. 
Cliff  were  removed  to  a  handsome  lot  and  overshad 
owed  by  a  suitable  monument. 

Mrs.  Ferguson,  however,  in  speaking  with  Mrs.  Cliff 
100 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 

upon  the  subject,  was  happy  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
assuring  her  that  she  thought  it  much  better  to  devote 
her  slender  means  to  the  education  of  her  daughters 
than  to  the  removal  of  her  late  husband  to  a  more 
eligible  resting-place. 

"I'm  sure  he's  done  very  well  as  he  is  for  all  these 
years,"  she  said,  "and  if  he  could  have  a  voice  in  the 
matter,  I'm  quite  sure  that  he  would  prefer  his 
daughters'  education  to  his  own  removal." 

Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  wish  to  make  any  offer  which 
might  hurt  Mrs.  Ferguson's  very  sensitive  feelings, 
but  she  said  that  she  had  no  doubt  that  arrangements 
could  be  made  by  which  Mr.  Ferguson's  transfer  could 
be  effected  without  interfering  with  any  plans  which 
might  have  been  made  for  the  benefit  of  his  daughters ; 
but  although  this  remark  did  not  satisfy  Mrs.  Fergu 
son,  she  was  glad  of  even  this  slight  opportunity  of 
bringing  the  subject  of  her  daughters'  education  be 
fore  the  consideration  of  her  friend. 

As  to  the  other  would-be  heirs,  they  did  not  imme 
diately  turn  upon  Miss  Inchman  and  rend  her,  in 
revenge  for  the  way  in  which  she  had  tricked  and 
frightened  them,  for  there  was  no  knowing  what  such 
a  woman  would  do  if  she  were  exasperated,  and  not 
for  the  world  would  they  have  Mrs.  Cliff  find  out  the 
real  subject  of  their  discussion  on  that  unlucky  morn 
ing  when  she  made  herself  decidedly  one  too  many  in 
Miss  Cushing's  parlor. 

Consequently,  all  attempts  at  concerted  action  were 
dropped,  and  each  for  herself  determined  that  Mrs. 
Cliff  should  know  that  she  was  a  true  friend,  and  to 
trust  to  the  good  lady's  well-known  gratitude  and 
friendly  feeling  when  the  time  should  come  for  her  to 

101 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

apportion  her  worldly  goods  among  the  dear  ones  she 
would  leave  behind  her. 

There  were  certain  articles  in  Mrs.  ClifPs  house  for 
which  each  of  her  friends  had  a  decided  admiration, 
and  remarks  were  often  made  which  it  was  believed 
would  render  it  impossible  for  Mrs.  Cliff  to  make  a 
mistake  when  she  should  be  planning  her  will,  and 
asking  herself  to  whom  she  should  give  this,  and  to 
whom  that. 

It  was  about  a  week  after  the  events  in  Miss  Cush- 
ing's  parlor  that  something  occurred  which  sent  a 
thrill  through  the  souls  of  a  good  many  people  in 
Plainton,  affecting  them  more  or  less,  according  to 
their  degree  of  sensibility. 

Willy  Croup,  who  had  been  driven  about  the  town 
attending  to  various  matters  of  business  and  pleasure, 
was  informed  by  Andrew  Marks,  as  she  alighted  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  at  the  house  of  an  ac 
quaintance,  that  he  hoped  she  would  not  stop  very 
long,  because  he  had  some  business  of  his  own  to  attend 
to  that  afternoon,  and  he  wanted  to  get  the  horse 
cared  for  and  the  cow  milked  as  early  as  possible,  so 
that  he  might  lock  up  the  barn  and  go  away.  To  this 
Willy  answered  that  he  need  not  wait  for  her,  for  she 
could  easily  walk  home  when  she  had  finished  her  visit. 

But  when  she  left  the  house,  after  a  protracted  call, 
she  did  not  walk  very  far,  for  it  so  happened  that  Mr. 
Burke,  who  had  found  leisure  that  afternoon  to  take 
a  drive  in  his  barouche,  came  up  behind  her,  and,  very 
naturally,  stopped  and  offered  to  take  her  home. 
Willy,  quite  as  naturally,  accepted  the  polite  proposi 
tion,  and  seated  herself  in  the  barouche  by  the  side  of 
the  fur-trimmed  overcoat  and  the  high  silk  hat. 

102 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

Thus  it  was  that  the  people  of  the  town  who  were 
in  the  main  street  that  afternoon,  or  who  happened 
to  be  at  doors  or  windows,  that  the  very  birds  of  the 
air,  hopping  about  on  trees  or  housetops,  that  the 
horses,  dogs,  and  cats,  that  even  the  insects  whose 
constitutions  were  strong  enough  to  enable  them  to 
buzz  about  in  the  autumn  sunlight,  beheld  the  star 
tling  sight  of  Willy  Croup  and  the  fine  gentleman  at 
the  hotel  riding  together,  side  by  side,  in  broad  day 
light,  through  the  most  public  street  of  the  town  ! 

Once  before  these  two  had  been  seen  together  out 
of  doors,  but  then  they  had  been  walking,  and  almost 
any  two  people  who  knew  each  other,  and  who  might 
be  walking  in  the  same  direction,  could,  without  im 
propriety,  walk  side  by  side,  and  converse  as  they 
went.  But  now  the  incident  was  very  different. 

It  created  a  great  impression,  not  all  to  the  advan 
tage  of  Mr.  Burke,  for,  after  the  matter  had  been 
very  thoroughly  discussed,  it  was  generally  conceded 
that  he  must  be  no  better  than  a  fortune-hunter. 
Otherwise,  why  should  he  be  paying  attention  to 
Willy  Croup,  who,  as  everybody  knew,  was  not  a 
day  under  forty-five  years  old,  and  therefore  at  least 
ten  years  older  than  the  gentleman  at  the  hotel. 

In  regard  to  the  fortune  which  he  was  hunting 
there  was  no  difference  of  opinion.  Whatever  Mrs. 
Cliff's  fortune  might  be,  this  Mr.  Burke  wanted  it. 
Of  course,  he  would  not  endeavor  to  gain  his  object 
by  marrying  the  widow,  for  she  was  entirely  too  old 
for  him ;  but  if  he  married  Willy,  her  only  relative, 
that  would  not  be  quite  so  bad  as  to  age,  and  there 
could  be  no  doubt  that  these  two  would  ultimately 
come  into  Mrs.  Cliff's  fortune,  which  was  probably 

103 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

more  than  had  been  generally  supposed.  She  had 
always  been  very  close-mouthed  about  her  affairs, 
and  there  were  some  who  said  that  even  in  her  early 
days  of  widowhood  she  might  have  been  more  stingy 
than  she  was  poor.  She  must  have  considerable 
property,  or  Mr.  Burke  would  not  be  so  anxious  to 
get  it. 

Thus  it  happened  that  the  eventful  drive  in  the 
barouche  had  a  very  different  effect  upon  the  repu 
tations  of  the  three  persons  concerned.  Mr.  Burke 
was  lowered  from  his  position  as  a  man  of  means  en 
joying  his  fortune,  for  even  his  building  operations 
were  probably  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  settling 
himself  in  Mrs.  Cliff's  neighborhood,  and  so  being  able 
to  marry  Willy  as  soon  as  possible. 

Willy  Croup,  although  everybody  spoke  of  her  con 
duct  as  absolutely  ridiculous  and  even  shameful,  rose 
in  public  estimation  simply  from  the  belief  that  she 
was  about  to  marry  a  man  who,  whatever  else  he 
might  be,  was  of  imposing  appearance  and  was  likely 
to  be  rich. 

As  to  Mrs.  Cliff,  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the 
general  respect  for  her  was  on  the  increase.  If  she 
were  rich  enough  to  attract  Mr.  Burke  to  the  town, 
she  was  probably  rich  enough  to  do  a  good  many 
other  things,  and,  after  all,  it  might  be  that  that  new 
house  at  the  corner  was  being  built  with  her  money. 

Miss  Shott  was  very  industrious  and  energetic  in 
expressing  her  opinion  of  Mr.  Burke.  "There's  a 
chambermaid  at  the  hotel,"  she  said,  "who's  told  me 
a  lot  of  things  about  him,  and  it's  very  plain  to  my 
mind  that  he  isn't  the  gentleman  that  he  makes  him 
self  out  to  be  !  His  handkerchiefs  and  his  hair-brush 

104 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 

aren't  the  kind  that  go  with  fur  overcoats  and  high 
hats,  and  she  has  often  seen  him  stop  in  the  hall  down 
stairs  and  black  his  own  boots  !  Everybody  knows  he 
was  a  sailor,  but  as  to  his  ever  having  commanded  a 
vessel,  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it !  But  Willy  Croup 
and  that  man  needn't  count  on  their  schemes  coming 
out  all  right,  for  Sarah  Cliff  isn't  any  older  than  I  am, 
and  she's  just  as  likely  to  outlive  them  as  she  is  to  die 
before  them ! " 

The  fact  that  nobody  had  ever  said  that  Burke  had 
commanded  a  vessel,  and  that  Miss  Shott  had  started 
the  belief  that  Mrs.  Cliff  was  in  a  rapid  decline,  en 
tirely  escaped  the  attention  of  her  hearers,  so  inter 
ested  were  they  in  the  subject  of  the  un worthiness  of 
the  fine  gentleman  at  the  hotel. 

Winter  had  not  yet  really  set  in  when  George 
Burke,  who  had  perceived  no  reason  to  imagine  that 
he  had  made  a  drop  in  public  estimation,  felt  himself 
stirred  by  emotions  of  triumphant  joy.  The  new 
building  on  the  corner  lot  was  on  the  point  of  com 
pletion  ! 

Workmen  and  master  workmen,  mechanics  and 
laborers,  had  swarmed  in,  over,  and  about  the  new 
edifice  in  such  numbers  that  sometimes  they  impeded 
each  other.  Close  upon  the  heels  of  the  masons  came 
the  carpenters,  and  following  them  the  plumbers 
and  the  plasterers,  while  the  painters  impatiently 
restrained  themselves  in  order  to  give  their  prede 
cessors  time  to  get  out  of  their  way. 

The  walls  and  ceilings  were  covered  with  the  plaster 
which  would  dry  the  quickest,  and  the  paper-hangers 
entered  the  rooms  almost  before  the  plasterers  could 
take  away  their  trowels  and  their  lime-beprimed  hats 

105 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

and  coats.  Cleaners  with  their  brooms  and  pails 
jostled  the  mechanics,  as  the  latter  left  the  various 
rooms.  And  everywhere  strode  Mr.  Burke.  He  had 
made  up  his  mind  that  the  building  must  be  ready 
to  move  into  the  instant  it  arrived  at  its  final 
destination. 

It  was  a  very  different  building  from  what  Mrs. 
Cliff  had  proposed  to  herself  when  she  decided  to  add 
a  dining-room  to  her  old  house.  It  was  so  different, 
indeed,  that,  after  having  gone  two  or  three  times  to 
look  upon  the  piles  of  lumber  and  stone,  and  the 
crowds  of  men  digging,  and  hammering,  and  sawing 
on  the  corner  lot,  she  had  decided  to  leave  the  whole 
matter  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Burke,  the  architect,  and 
the  contractor.  And  when  Willy  Croup  endeavored 
to  explain  to  her  what  was  going  on,  she  always 
stopped  her,  saying  that  she  would  wait  until  it  was 
done,  and  then  she  would  understand  it. 

Mr.  Burke,  too,  had  urged  her,  especially  as  the 
building  drew  near  to  completion,  not  to  bother  her 
self  in  the  least  about  it,  but  to  give  him  the  pleasure 
of  presenting  it  to  her  entirely  finished  and  ready  for 
occupancy.  So  even  the  painting  and  paper-hanging 
had  been  left  to  a  professional  decorator,  and  Mrs. 
Cliff  assured  Burke  that  she  was  perfectly  willing  to 
wait  for  the  new  dining-room  until  it  was  ready  for 
her. 

This  dining-room,  large  and  architecturally  hand 
some,  was  planned,  as  has  been  said,  so  that  one  of  its 
doors  should  fit  exactly  against  the  side  hall  door  of 
the  little  house,  but  the  other  door  of  the  dining-room 
opened  into  a  wide  and  elegant  hall,  at  one  end  of 
which  was  a  portico  and  spacious  front  steps.  On  the 

106 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

other  side  of  this  hall  was  a  handsome  drawing-room, 
and  behind  the  drawing-room,  and  opening  into  it,  an 
alcove  library  with  a  broad  piazza  at  one  side  of  it. 
Back  of  the  dining-room  was  a  spacious  kitchen,  with 
pantries,  closets,  scullery,  and  all  necessary  adjuncts. 

In  the  second  and  third  stories  of  the  edifice  were 
large  and  beautiful  bedrooms,  small  and  neat  bed 
rooms,  bath-rooms,  servants'  rooms,  trunk-rooms,  and 
every  kind  of  room  that  modern  civilization  demands. 

Now  that  the  building  was  finished,  Mr.  Burke  al 
most  regretted  that  he  had  not  constructed  it  upon 
the  top  of  a  hill,  in  order  that  he  might  have  laid  his 
smooth  and  slippery  timbers  from  the  eminence  to 
the  side  of  Mrs.  Cliff's  house,  so  that,  when  all  should 
be  ready,  he  could  have  knocked  away  the  blocks 
which  held  the  building  in  place,  and  so  have  launched 
it  as  if  it  had  been  a  ship,  and  everybody  could  have 
beheld  it  sliding  gracefully  and  rapidly  from  its  stocks 
into  its  appointed  position.  But  as  this  would  prob 
ably  have  resulted  in  razing  Mrs.  Cliff's  old  house  to 
the  level  of  the  ground,  he  did  not  long  regret  that 
he  had  not  been  able  to  afford  himself  and  the  towns 
people  the  pleasure  of  this  grand  spectacle. 

The  night  before  the  day  on  which  the  new  building 
was  to  be  moved,  the  lot  next  to  Mrs.  Cliff's  house  was 
covered  by  masons,  laborers,  and  wagons  hauling 
stones,  and  by  breakfast-time  the  next  morning  the 
new  cellar  was  completed. 

Almost  immediately  the  great  timbers,  which, 
polished  and  greased,  had  been  waiting  for  several 
days,  were  put  in  their  places,  and  the  great  steam- 
engines  and  windlasses,  which  had  been  ready  as  long 
a  time,  were  set  in  motion.  And,  as  the  house  began 

107 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

to  move  upon  its  course,  it  almost  missed  a  parting 
dab  from  the  brush  of  a  painter  who  was  at  work 
upon  some  final  trimming. 

That  afternoon,  as  Mrs.  Cliff  happened  to  be  in  her 
dining-room,  she  remarked  to  Willy  that  it  was  get 
ting  dark  very  early,  but  she  would  not  pull  up  the 
blind  of  the  side  window,  because  she  would  then  look 
out  on  the  new  cellar,  and  she  had  promised  Mr. 
Burke  not  to  look  at  anything  until  he  had  told  her 
to  do  so.  Willy,  who  had  looked  out  of  the  side  door 
at  least  fifty  times  that  day,  knew  that  the  early  dark 
ness  was  caused  by  the  shadows  thrown  by  a  large 
building  slowly  approaching  from  the  west. 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  came  down-stairs  the  next  morning, 
she  was  met  by  Willy,  very  much  excited,  who  told 
her  that  Mr.  Burke  wished  to  see  her. 

"Where  is  he?"  said  she. 

"At  the  dining-room  door,"  answered  Willy,  and  as 
Mrs.  Cliff  turned  toward  the  little  room  in  which  she 
had  been  accustomed  to  take  her  meals,  Willy  seized 
her  hand  and  led  her  into  the  side  hall.  There,  in  the 
open  doorway,  stood  Mr.  Burke,  his  high  silk  hat  in 
one  hand,  and  the  other  outstretched  toward  her. 

"Welcome  to  your  new  dining-room,  madam ! " 
said  he,  as  he  took  her  hand  and  led  her  into  the  great 
room,  which  seemed  to  her,  as  she  gazed  in  amazement 
about  her,  like  a  beautiful  public  hall. 

We  will  not  follow  Mrs.  Cliff,  Willy,  and  the  whole 
body  of  domestic  servants,  as  they  pass  through  the 
halls  and  rooms  of  that  grand  addition  to  Mrs.  CliiFs 
little  house. 

"Carpets  and  furniture  is  all  that  you  want, 
madam,"  said  Burke,  "and  then  you're  at  home  ! " 

108 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  had  been  up -stairs  and  down-stairs, 
and  into  every  chamber,  and  when  she  had  looked  out 
of  the  window,  and  had  beheld  hundreds  of  men  at 
work  upon  the  grounds  and  putting  up  fences,  and 
when  Mr.  Burke  had  explained  to  her  that  the  people 
at  the  back  of  the  lot  were  beginning  to  erect  a  stable 
and  carriage-house,— for  no  dining-room  such  as  she 
had  was  complete,  he  assured  her,  without  handsome 
quarters  for  horses  and  carriages,— she  left  him  and 
went  down-stairs  by  herself. 

As  she  stood  by  the  great  front  door  and  looked  up 
at  the  wide  staircase,  and  into  the  lofty  rooms  upon 
each  side,  there  came  to  her,  rising  above  all  senti 
ments  of  amazement,  delight,  and  pride  in  her  new 
possessions,  a  feeling  of  animated  and  inspiring  en 
couragement.  The  mists  of  doubt  and  uncertainty, 
which  had  hung  over  her,  began  to  clear  away.  This 
noble  edifice  must  have  cost  grandly !  And,  for  the 
first  time,  she  began  to  feel  that  she  might  yet  be 
equal  to  her  fortune. 


109 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE    THORPDYKE    SISTERS 

THE  new  and  grand  addition  to  Mrs.  ClifPs  house, 
which  had  been  so  planned  that  the  little  house  to 
which  it  had  been  joined  appeared  to  be  an  architec 
turally  harmonious  adjunct  to  it,  caused  a  far  greater 
sensation  in  Plainton  than  the  erection  of  any  of  the 
public  buildings  therein. 

Its  journey  from  the  corner  lot  was  watched  by  hun 
dreds  of  spectators,  and  now  Mrs.  Cliff,  Willy,  and 
Mr.  Burke  spent  day  and  evening  in  exhibiting  and 
explaining  this  remarkable  piece  of  building  enter 
prise. 

Mr.  Burke  was  very  jolly.  He  took  no  credit  to 
himself  for  the  planning  of  the  house,  which,  as  he 
truthfully  said,  had  been  the  work  of  an  architect, 
who  had  suggested  what  was  proper,  and  had  been 
allowed  to  do  it.  But  he  did  feel  himself  privileged 
to  declare  that  if  every  crew  building  a  house  were 
commanded  by  a  person  of  marine  experience,  things 
would  move  along  a  good  deal  more  briskly  than  they 
generally  did,  and  to  this  assertion  he  found  no  one 
to  object. 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  very  happy  in  wandering  over  her 
new  rooms,  and  in  assuring  herself  that  no  matter 

110 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

how  grand  they  might  be  when  they  were  all  fur 
nished  and  fitted  up,  nothing  had  been  done  which 
would  interfere  with  the  dear  old  home  which  she 
had  loved  so  long.  It  is  true  that  one  of  the  win 
dows  of  the  little  dining-room  was  blocked  up,  but 
that  window  was  not  needed. 

Mr.  Burke  was  not  willing  to  give  Mrs.  Cliff  more 
than  a  day  or  two  for  the  contemplation  of  her  new 
possessions,  and  urged  upon  her  that  while  the  chim 
neys  were  being  erected  and  the  heating  apparatus 
was  being  put  into  the  house,  she  ought  to  attend  to 
the  selection  and  purchase  of  the  carpets,  furniture, 
pictures,  and  everything  which  was  needed  in  the 
new  establishment. 

Mrs.  Cliff  thought  this  good  advice,  and  proposed  a 
trip  to  Boston.  But  Burke  did  not  think  that  would 
do  at  all,  and  declared  that  New  York  was  the  only 
place  where  she  could  get  everything  she  needed. 
Willy,  who  was  to  accompany  Mrs.  Cliff,  had  been 
to  Boston,  but  had  never  visited  New  York,  and  she 
strongly  urged  the  claims  of  the  latter  city,  and  an 
immediate  journey  to  the  metropolis  was  agreed 
upon. 

But  when  Mrs.  Cliff  considered  the  magnitude  and 
difficulties  of  the  work  she  was  about  to  undertake, 
she  wished  for  the  counsel  and  advice  of  some  one 
besides  Willy.  This  good  little  woman  was  energetic 
and  enthusiastic,  but  she  had  had  no  experience  in 
regard  to  the  furnishing  of  a  really  good  house. 

When,  in  her  mind,  she  was  running  over  the 
names  of  those  who  might  be  able  and  willing  to  go 
with  her  and  assist  her,  Mrs.  Cliff  suddenly  thought  of 
the  Thorpdyke  ladies,  and  there  her  mental  category 

111 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

stopped,  as  she  announced  to  "Willy  that  she  was 
going  to  ask  these  ladies  to  go  with  them  to  New 
York. 

Willy  thought  well  of  this  plan,  but  she  had  her 
doubts  about  Miss  Barbara,  who  was  so  quiet,  domestic, 
and  unused  to  travel  that  she  might  be  unwilling  to 
cast  herself  into  the  din  and  whirl  of  the  metropolis. 
But  when  she  and  Mrs.  Cliff  went  to  make  a  call  upon 
the  Thorpdykes,  and  put  the  question  before  them, 
she  was  very  much  surprised  to  find  that,  although 
the  elder  sister,  after  carefully  considering  the  subject, 
announced  her  willingness  to  oblige  Mrs.  Cliff,  Miss 
Barbara  agreed  to  the  plan  with  an  alacrity  which 
her  visitors  had  never  known  her  to  exhibit  before. 

As  soon  as  the  necessary  preparations  could  be 
made,  a  party  of  five  left  Plainton  for  New  York,  and 
a  very  well-assorted  party  it  was !  Mr.  Burke,  who 
guided  and  commanded  the  expedition,  supplied  the 
impelling  energy.  Mrs.  Cliff  had  her  check-book  with 
her.  Willy  was  ready  with  any  amount  of  enthusiasm. 
And  the  past  life  of  Miss  Eleanor  Thorpdyke  and  her 
sister  Barbara  had  made  them  most  excellent  judges 
of  what  was  appropriate  for  the  worthy  furnishing  of 
a  stately  mansion. 

Their  youth  and  middle  life  had  been  spent  near 
Boston,  in  a  fine  old  house  which  had  been  the  home 
of  their  ancestors,  and  where  they  had  been  familiar 
with  wealth,  distinguished  society,  and  noble  hospi 
tality.  But  when  they  had  been  left  the  sole  repre 
sentatives  of  their  family,  and  when  misfortune  after 
misfortune  had  come  down  upon  them  and  swept 
away  their  estates  and  nearly  all  of  their  income,  they 

112 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

had  retired  to  the  little  town  of  Plainton,  where  they 
happened  to  own  a  house. 

There,  with  nothing  saved  from  the  wreck  of  their 
prosperity  but  their  family  traditions,  and  some  of 
the  old  furniture  and  pictures,  they  had  settled  down 
to  spend  in  quiet  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

For  two  weeks  our  party  remained  in  New  York, 
living  at  one  of  the  best  hotels,  but  spending  nearly 
all  their  time  in  shops  and  streets. 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  rapidly  becoming  a  different  woman 
from  the  old  Mrs.  Cliff  of  Plainton.  At  the  time  she 
stepped  inside  of  the  addition  to  her  house  the  change 
had  begun,  and  now  it  showed  itself  more  and  more 
each  day.  She  had  seen  more  beautiful  things  in 
Paris,  but  there  she  looked  upon  them  with  but  little 
thought  of  purchasing.  In  New  York  whatever  she 
saw  and  desired  she  made  her  own. 

The  difference  between  a  mere  possessor  of  wealth 
and  one  who  uses  it  became  very  apparent  to  her. 
Not  until  now  had  she  really  known  what  it  was  to  be 
a  rich  woman.  Not  only  did  this  consciousness  of 
power  swell  her  veins  with  a  proud  delight,  but  it 
warmed  and  invigorated  all  her  better  impulses.  She 
had  always  been  of  a  generous  disposition,  but  now 
she  felt  an  intense  good  will  toward  her  fellow-beings, 
and  wished  that  other  people  could  be  as  happy  as 
she  was. 

She  thought  of  Mrs.  Ferguson,  and  remembered  what 
she  had  said  about  her  daughters.  To  be  sure,  Mrs. 
Ferguson  was  always  trying  to  get  people  to  do  things 
for  her,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  fancy  that  class  of 
women,  but  now  her  wealth-warmed  soul  inclined  her 

113 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

to  overlook  this  prejudice,  and  she  said  to  herself 
that  when  she  got  home  she  would  make  arrangements 
for  those  two  girls  to  go  to  a  good  school ;  and,  more 
than  that,  she  would  see  to  it  that  Mr.  Ferguson  was 
moved.  It  seemed  to  her  just  then  that  it  would  be 
a  very  cheerful  thing  to  make  other  people  happy. 

The  taste  and  artistic  judgment  of  the  elder  Miss 
Thorpdyke,  which  had  been  dormant  for  years, 
simply  because  there  was  nothing  upon  which  they 
could  exercise  themselves,  now  awoke  in  their  old 
vigor,  and  with  Mrs.  Cliff's  good  sense,  reinforced  by 
her  experience  gained  in  wandering  among  the  treas 
ures  of  Paris,  the  results  of  the  shopping  expedition 
were  eminently  satisfactory.  And,  with  the  plan  of 
the  new  building,  which  Mr.  Burke  carried  always 
with  him,  everything  which  was  likely  to  be  needed 
in  each  room,  hall,  or  stairway  was  selected  and  pur 
chased,  and,  as  fast  as  this  was  done,  the  things  were 
shipped  to  Plainton,  where  people  were  ready  to  put 
them  where  they  belonged. 

"Willy  Croup  was  not  always  of  service  in  the  pur 
chasing  expeditions,  for  she  liked  everything  that  she 
saw,  and  no  sooner  was  an  article  produced  than  she 
went  into  ecstasies  over  it.  But  as  she  had  an  intense 
desire  to  see  everything  which  New  York  contained, 
she  did  not  at  all  confine  herself  to  the  shops  and 
bazaars.  She  went  wherever  she  could,  and  saw  all 
that  it  was  possible  for  her  to  see ;  but  in  the  midst 
of  the  sights  and  attractions  of  the  metropolis,  she  was 
still  Willy  Croup. 

One  afternoon,  as  she  and  Miss  Barbara  were  passing 
along  one  of  the  side  streets,  on  their  return  from  an 
attempt  to  see  how  the  poorer  people  lived,  Willy 

114 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

stopped  in  front  of  a  blacksmith's  shop,  where  a  man 
was  shoeing  a  horse. 

"  There  ! "  she  exclaimed,  her  eyes  sparkling  with 
delight,  "that's  the  first  thing  I've  seen  that  reminds 
me  of  home  ! " 

"It  is  nice,  isn't  it ! "  said  gentle  Miss  Barbara. 


115 


CHAPTER  XIII 

MONEY-HUNGER 

DURING  the  latter  part  of  their  sojourn  in  the  city, 
Willy  went  about  a  good  deal  with  Miss  Barbara, 
because  she  thought  this  quiet,  soft-spoken  lady  was 
not  happy,  and  did  not  take  the  interest  in  handsome 
and  costly  articles  which  was  shown  by  her  sister. 
She  had  been  afraid  that  this  noisy,  bustling  place 
would  be  too  much  for  Miss  Barbara,  and  now  she 
was  sure  she  had  been  right. 

The  younger  Miss  Thorpedyke  was  unhappy,  and 
with  reason.  For  some  months  a  little  house  in 
Boston  which  had  been  their  principal  source  of  in 
come  had  not  been  rented.  It  needed  repairs,  and 
there  was  no  money  with  which  to  repair  it.  The 
agent  had  written  that  some  one  might  appear  who 
would  be  willing  to  take  it  as  it  stood,  but  that  this 
was  doubtful,  and  the  heart  of  Miss  Barbara  sank  very 
low.  She  was  the  business  woman  of  the  family.  She 
it  was  who  had  always  balanced  the  income  and  the 
expenditures.  This  adjustment  had  now  become  very 
difficult  indeed,  and  was  only  accomplished  by  adding 
a  little  debt  to  the  weight  on  the  income  scale. 

She  had  said  nothing  to  her  sister  about  this  sad 
116 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

change  in  their  affairs,  because  she  hoped  against  hope 
that  soon  they  might  have  a  tenant,  and  she  knew 
that  her  sister  Eleanor  was  a  woman  of  such  strict  and 
punctilious  honor  that  she  would  insist  upon  living 
upon  plain  bread,  if  their  supply  of  ready  money  was 
insufficient  to  buy  anything  else.  To  see  this  sister 
insufficiently  nourished  was  something  which  Miss 
Barbara  could  not  endure,  and  so,  sorely  against  her 
disposition  and  her  conscience,  she  made  some  little 
debts ;  and  these  grew  and  grew,  until  at  last  they 
weighed  her  down  until  she  felt  as  if  she  must  always 
look  upon  the  earth,  and  could  never  raise  her  head 
to  the  sky.  And  she  was  so  plump,  and  so  white,  and 
gentle,  and  quiet,  and  peaceful-looking  that  no  one 
thought  she  had  a  care  in  the  world  until  Willy 
Croup  began  to  suspect,  in  New  York,  that  something 
was  the  matter  with  her,  but  did  not  in  the  least  at 
tribute  her  friend's  low  spirits  to  the  proper  cause. 

When  Miss  Barbara  had  favored  so  willingly  and 
promptly  the  invitation  of  Mrs.  Cliff,  she  had  done  so 
because  she  saw  in  the  New  York  visit  a  temporary 
abolition  of  expense,  and  a  consequent  opportunity  to 
lay  up  a  little  money  by  which  she  might  be  able  to 
satisfy  for  a  time  one  of  her  creditors,  who  was  begin 
ning  to  suspect  that  she  was  not  able  to  pay  his  bill, 
and  was  therefore  pressing  her  very  hard.  Even  while 
she  had  been  in  New  York,  this  many-times  rendered 
bill  had  been  forwarded  to  her,  with  an  urgent  request 
that  it  be  settled. 

It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  a  tear  should 
sometimes  come  to  the  eye  of  Miss  Barbara  when  she 
stood  by  the  side  of  her  sister  and  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  lis 
tened  to  them  discussing  the  merits  of  some  rich  rugs 

117 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

or  pieces  of  furniture,  and  when  she  reflected  that  the 
difference  in  price  between  two  articles,  one  appar 
ently  as  desirable  as  the  other,  which  was  discussed 
so  lightly  by  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Eleanor,  would  pay  that 
bill  which  was  eating  into  her  soul,  and  settle,  more 
over,  every  other  claim  against  herself  and  her  sister. 
But  the  tears  were  always  wiped  away  very  quickly, 
and  neither  Mrs.  Cliff  nor  the  elder  Miss  Thorpdyke 
ever  noticed  them. 

But  although  Willy  Croup  was  not  at  all  a  woman 
of  acute  perceptions,  she  began  to  think  that  perhaps 
jit  was  something  more  than  the  bustle  and  noise  of 
New  York  which  was  troubling  Miss  Barbara.  And 
once,  when  she  saw  her  gazing  with  an  earnest,  eager 
glare— and  whoever  would  have  thought  of  any  sort 
of  a  glare  in  Miss  Barbara's  eyes?— upon  some  bank 
notes  which  Mrs.  Cliff  was  paying  out  for  a  carved 
cabinet  for  which  it  was  a  little  doubtful  if  a  suitable 
place  could  be  found,  but  which  was  bought  because 
Miss  Eleanor  thought  it  would  give  an  air  of  dis 
tinction  in  whatever  room  it  might  be  placed,  Willy 
began  to  suspect  the  meaning  of  that  unusual  exhi 
bition  of  emotion. 

"She's  money -hungry,"  she  said  to  herself,  "that's 
what's  the  matter  with  her  ! "  Willy  had  seen  the 
signs  of  such  hunger  before,  and  she  understood  what 
they  meant. 

That  night  Willy  lay  in  her  bed,  having  the  very 
unusual  experience  of  thinking  so  much  that  she  could 
not  sleep.  Her  room  adjoined  Miss  Barbara's,  and  the 
door  between  them  was  partly  open,  for  the  latter 
lady  was  timid.  Perhaps  it  was  because  this  door  was 
not  closed  that  Willy  was  so  wakeful  and  thoughtful, 

118 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

for  there  was  a  bright  light  in  the  other  room,  and 
she  could  not  imagine  why  Miss  Barbara  should  be 
sitting  up  so  late.  It  was  a  proceeding  entirely  at 
variance  with  her  usual  habits.  She  was  in  some  sort 
of  trouble,  it  was  easy  to  see  that,  but  it  would  be 
a  great  deal  better  to  go  to  sleep  and  try  to  forget  it. 

So,  after  a  time,  Willy  rose,  and,  softly  stepping  over 
the  thick  carpet,  looked  into  the  other  room.  There 
was  Miss  Barbara,  in  her  day-dress,  sitting  at  a  table, 
her  arms  upon  the  table,  her  head  upon  her  arms, 
fast  asleep.  Upon  her  pale  face  there  were  a  great 
many  tear- marks,  and  Willy  knew  that  she  must  have 
cried  herself  to  sleep.  A  paper  was  spread  out  near 
her. 

Willy  was  sure  that  it  would  be  a  very  mean  and 
contemptible  thing  for  her  to  go  and  look  at  that 
paper,  and  so,  perhaps,  find  out  what  was  troubling 
Miss  Barbara,  but,  without  the  slightest  hesitation,  she 
did  it.  Her  bare  feet  made  no  sound  upon  the  carpet, 
and  as  she  had  very  good  eyes,  it  was  not  necessary 
for  her  to  approach  close  to  the  sleeper. 

It  was  a  bill  from  William  Bullock,  a  grocer  and 
provision-dealer  of  Plainton.  It  contained  but  one 
item,  "To  bill  rendered,"  and  at  the  bottom  was  a 
statement  in  Mr.  Bullock's  own  handwriting  to  the 
effect  that  if  the  bill  was  not  immediately  paid  he 
would  be  obliged  to  put  it  into  the  hands  of  a 
collector. 

Willy  turned  and  slipped  back  into  her  room. 
Then,  after  sitting  down  upon  her  bed  and  getting 
up  again,  she  stepped  boldly  to  the  door  and  knocked 
upon  it.  Instantly  she  heard  Miss  Barbara  start  and 
push  back  her  chair. 

119 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"What  are  you  doing  up  so  late?"  cried  Willy, 
cheerfully.  "Don't  you  feel  well?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  other,  "I  accidentally  fell 
asleep  while  reading,  but  I  will  go  to  bed  instantly." 

The  mind  of  Willy  Croup  was  a  very  small  one,  and 
had  room  in  it  for  but  one  idea  at  a  time.  For  a  good 
while  she  lay  putting  ideas  into  this  mind,  and  then 
taking  them  out  again.  Having  given  place  to  the 
conviction  that  the  Thorpdykes  were  in  a  very  bad 
way,  indeed,— for  if  that  bill  should  be  collected,  they 
would  not  have  much  left  but  themselves,  and  Mr. 
Bullock  was  a  man  who  did  collect  when  he  said  he 
would,— she  was  obliged  to  remove  this  conviction, 
which  made  her  cry,  in  order  to  consider  plans  of 
relief ;  and  while  she  was  considering  these  plans,  one 
at  a  time,  she  dropped  asleep. 

The  first  thing  she  thought  of,  when  she  opened  her 
eyes  in  the  morning,  was  poor  Miss  Barbara  in  the 
next  room,  and  that  dreadful  bill ;  and  then,  like  a 
flash  of  lightning,  she  thought  of  a  good  thing  to  do 
for  the  Thorpdykes.  The  project  which  now  laid 
itself  out,  detail  after  detail,  before  her  seemed  so 
simple,  so  sensible,  so  absolutely  wise  and  desirable  in 
every  way,  that  she  got  up,  dressed  herself  with  great 
rapidity,  and  went  in  to  see  Mrs.  Cliff. 

That  lady  was  still  asleep,  but  Willy  awakened  her, 
and  sat  on  the  side  of  the  bed.  "Do  you  know  what 
I  think?  "said  Willy. 

"How  in  the  world  should  I ! "  said  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Is 
it  after  breakfast-time?  " 

"No,"  said  Willy,  "but  it's  this !  What  are  you 
going  to  do  in  that  big  house,  with  all  the  bedrooms, 
parlor,  library,  and  so  forth?  You  say  that  you  are 

120 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

going  to  have  one  room,  and  that  I'm  to  have  an 
other,  and  that  we'll  go  into  the  old  house  to  feel  at 
home  whenever  we  want  to.  But  I  believe  we'll  be 
like  a  couple  of  flies  in  a  barrel.  You're  going  to 
furnish  your  new  house  with  everything  but  people. 
You  ought  to  have  more  people.  You  ought  to  have 
a  family.  That  house  will  look  funny  without 
people.  You  can't  ask  Mr.  Burke,  because  it  would 
be  too  queer  to  have  him  come  and  live  with  us,  and, 
besides,  he'll  want  a  house  of  his  own.  Why  don't 
you  ask  the  Thorpdykes  to  come  and  live  with  us? 
Their  roof  is  dreadfully  out  of  repairs.  I  know  to 
my  certain  knowledge  that  they  have  to  put  tin  wash 
basins  on  every  bed  in  the  second  story  when  it  rains, 
on  account  of  the  holes  in  the  shingles  !  If  they  had 
money  to  mend  those  holes,  they'd  mend  them,  but  as 
they  don't  mend  them,  of  course  they  haven't  the 
money.  It  strikes  me  that  they  aren't  as  well 
off  as  they  used  to  be,  and  they'll  have  a  hard  time 
gettin'  through  this  winter.  Now,  there  isn't  any 
piece  of  furniture  that  you  can  put  in  your  house  that 
will  give  it  'such  an  air  of  distinction/  as  Miss 
Eleanor  calls  it,  as  she  herself  will  give  it,  if  you  put 
her  there.  If  you  could  persuade  Miss  Eleanor  to 
come  and  sit  in  your  parlor  when  you  are  having 
company  to  see  you,  it  would  set  you  up  in  Plainton 
a  good  deal  higher  than  any  money  can  set  you  up." 

"They  would  never  agree  to  anything  of  the  kind,'7 
said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "and  you  know  it,  Willy  ! " 

"I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Willy.  "I  believe  they'd 
come  !  Just  see  how  willing  they  were  to  come  here 
with  you!  I  tell  you,  Sarah,  that  the  older  and 
older  those  Thorpdyke  ladies  get,  the  more  timid 

121 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

they  get,  and  the  more  unwilling  to  lire  by  them 
selves  !  If  you  make  Miss  Eleanor  understand  that  it 
would  be  the  greatest  comfort  and  happiness  to  both 
of  us  if  she  would  come  and  spend  the  winter  with 
you,  and  so  help  you  to  get  used  to  your  great  big 
new  house,  and,  more  than  that,  if  they'd  bring  with 
them  some  of  their  candlesticks  and  pictures  on  ivory, 
and  that  sort  of  thing,  which  everybody  knows  can't 
be  bought  for  money,  it  would  be  the  great  accommo 
dation  to  you,  and  make  your  house  look  something 
like  what  you  would  like  to  have  it.  I  believe  that 
old-family  lady  would  come  and  stay  with  you  this 
winter,  and  think  all  the  time  that  she  was  giving  you 
something  that  you  ought  to  have,  and  which  nobody 
in  Plainton  could  give  you  but  herself.  And  as  to 
Miss  Barbara,  she'd  come  along  as  quick  as  lightning  ! " 

"Willy,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  very  earnestly,  "have  you 
any  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  Thorpdykes  are 
in  money  trouble  f  " 

"Yes,  I  have,"  said  Willy,  "I'm  positive  of  it,  and, 
what's  more,  it's  only  Miss  Barbara  who  knows  it ! " 

Mrs.  Cliff  sat  for  some  minutes  without  answering, 
and  then  she  said,  "Willy,  you  do  sometimes  get  into 
your  head  an  idea  that  absolutely  sparkles  ! " 


122 


CHAPTER   XIV 

WILLY  CROUP  AS  A  PHILANTHROPIC  DIPLOMATIST 

MRS.  CLIFF  was  late  to  breakfast  that  day,  and  the 
reason  was  that,  thinking  so  much  about  what  Willy 
had  said  to  her,  she  had  been  very  slow  in  dressing. 
As  soon  as  she  had  a  chance,  Mrs.  Cliff  took  Willy 
aside  and  told  her  that  she  had  determined  to  adopt 
her  advice  about  the  Thorpdykes. 

"The  more  I  think  of  the  plan,"  she  said,  "the 
better  I  like  it !  But  we  must  be  very,  very  careful 
about  what  we  do.  If  Miss  Eleanor  suspects  that  I 
invite  them  to  come  to  my  house  because  I  think 
they  are  poor,  she  will  turn  into  solid  stone,  and  we 
will  find  we  cannot  move  her  an  inch.  But  I  think  I 
can  manage  it !  When  we  go  home,  I  will  tell  them 
how  pleasant  we  found  it  for  us  all  to  be  together,  and 
speak  of  the  loneliness  of  my  new  big  house.  If  I  can 
get  Miss  Eleanor  to  believe  that  she  is  doing  me  a 
favor,  she  may  be  willing  to  come.  But  on  no  account, 
Willy,  do  you  say  a  word  to  either  of  them  about  this 
plan.  If  you  do,  you  will  spoil  everything,  for  that's 
your  way,  Willy,  and  you  know  it ! " 

Willy  promised  faithfully  that  she  would  not  inter 
fere  in  the  least ;  but  although  she  was  perfectly  satis- 

123 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

fied  with  this  arrangement,  she  was  not  happy.  How 
could  she  be  happy,  knowing  what  she  did  about  Miss 
Barbara?  That  poor  lady  was  looking  sadder  than 
ever,  and  Willy  was  very  much  afraid  that  she  had 
had  another  letter  from  that  horrid  Mr.  Bullock,  with 
whom,  she  was  delighted  to  think,  Mrs.  Cliff  had 
never  dealt. 

It  would  be  some  days  yet  before  they  would  go 
home  and  make  the  new  arrangement,  and  then  there 
would  be  the  bill  and  the  collector,  and  all  that  horrid 
business,  and  if  Miss  Eleanor  found  out  the  condition 
of  affairs,— and  if  the  bill  was  not  paid,  she  must  find 
out,— she  would  never  come  to  them.  She  would 
probably  stay  at  home  and  live  on  bread ! 

Now,  it  so  happened  that  Willy  had  in  her  own 
possession  more  than  enough  money  to  pay  that 
wretched  Bullock  bill.  Mrs.  Cliff  made  her  no 
regular  allowance,  but  she  had  given  her  all  the 
money  that  she  might  reasonably  expect  to  spend  in 
New  York,  and  Willy  had  spent  but  very  little  of  it, 
for  she  found  it  the  most  difficult  thing  in  the  world 
to  select  what  it  was  she  wanted  out  of  all  the  desirable 
things  she  saw. 

It  would  rejoice  her  heart  to  transfer  this  money  to 
Miss  Barbara,  but  how  in  the  world  could  she  do  it? 
She  first  thought  that  she  might  offer  to  buy  something 
that  was  in  the  Thorpdyke  house,  but  she  knew  this 
idea  was  absurd.  Then  she  thought  of  mentioning, 
in  an  offhand  way,  that  she  would  like  to  put  some 
money  out  at  interest,  and  thus,  perhaps,  induce  Miss 
Barbara  to  propose  a  business  transaction.  But  this 
would  not  do.  Even  Miss  Barbara  would  suspect 
some  concealed  motive.  Idea  after  idea  came  to  her, 

124 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

but  she  could  think  of  no  satisfactory  plan  of  getting 
that  money  into  Miss  Barbara's  possession. 

She  did  not  go  out  with  the  party  that  morning, 
but  sat  in  her  room  trying  in  vain  to  solve  this  prob 
lem.  At  last  she  gave  it  up,  and  determined  to  do 
what  she  wanted  to  do  without  any  plan  whatever. 

She  went  into  Miss  Barbara's  room,  and  placed  upon 
the  table,  in  the  very  spot  where  the  bill  had  been 
lying,  some  bank-notes,  considerably  more  than  suffi 
cient  to  pay  the  amount  of  the  bill,  which  amount 
she  well  remembered.  It  would  not  do  to  leave  just 
money  enough,  for  that  would  excite  suspicion.  And 
so,  placing  Miss  Barbara's  hair-brush  upon  the  bank 
notes,  so  that  she  would  be  sure  not  to  overlook  them, 
for  she  would  not  think  of  going  down  to  luncheon 
without  brushing  her  hair,  Willy  retired  to  her  own 
room,  nearly  closing  the  door,  leaving  only  a  little 
crack  through  which  she  might  see  if  any  servant 
entered  the  room  before  Miss  Barbara  came  back. 

Then  Willy  set  herself  industriously  to  work  hem 
ming  a  pocket-handkerchief.  She  could  not  do  this 
very  well,  because  she  was  not  at  all  proficient  in  fine 
sewing,  but  she  worked  with  great  energy,  waiting 
and  listening  for  Miss  Barbara's  entrance. 

At  last,  after  a  long  time,  Willy  heard  the  outer 
door  of  the  other  room  open,  and  glancing  through 
the  crack,  she  saw  Miss  Barbara  enter.  Then  she 
twisted  herself  around  toward  the  window,  and  began 
to  sew  savagely,  with  a  skill  much  better  adapted  to 
the  binding  of  carpets  than  to  any  sort  of  work  upon 
cambric  handkerchiefs. 

In  a  few  minutes  she  heard  a  little  exclamation  in 
the  next  room,  and  then  her  door  was  opened  sud- 

125 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

denly,  without  the  customary  knock,  and  Miss  Barbara 
marched  in.  Her  face  was  flushed. 

"Willy  Croup,"  said  she,  "what  is  the  meaning  of 
that  money  on  my  table? " 

"Money?"  said  Willy,  turning  toward  her  with  as 
innocent  an  expression  as  her  burning  cheeks  and 
rapidly  winking  eyes  would  permit.  "What  do  you 
mean  by— money?" 

Miss  Barbara  stood  silent  for  some  moments,  while 
Willy  vainly  endeavored  to  thread  the  point  of  her 
needle. 

"Willy,"  said  Miss  Barbara,  "did  you  come  into 
my  room  last  night,  and  look  at  the  bill  which  was 
on  my  table  ?  " 

Now  Willy  dropped  her  needle,  thread,  and  hand 
kerchief,  and  stood  up. 

"Yes,  I  did ! "  said  she. 

Miss  Barbara  was  now  quite  pale. 

"And  you  read  the  note  which  Mr.  Bullock  had  put 
at  the  bottom  of  it?" 

"Yes,  I  read  it ! "  said  Willy. 

"And  don't  you  know,"  said  the  other,  "that  to  do 
such  a  thing  was  most—" 

"  Yes,  I  do  ! "  interrupted  Willy.  "I  knew  it  then, 
and  I  know  it  now,  but  I  don't  care  any  more  now 
than  I  did  then !  I  put  it  there  because  I  wanted  to  ! 
And  if  you'll  take  it,  Miss  Barbara,  and  pay  it  back 
to  me  any  time  when  you  feel  like  it— and  you  can 
pay  me  interest  at  ten  per  cent.,  if  you  want  to,  and 
that  will  make  it  all  right,  you  know.  And  oh,  Miss 
Barbara !  I  know  all  about  that  sort  of  bill,  because 
they  used  to  come  when  my  father  was  alive.  If  you'd 
only  take  it,  you  don't  know  how  happy  I  would  be  !" 

126 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

At  this  she  began  to  cry,  and  then  Miss  Barbara 
burst  into  tears,  and  the  two  sat  down  beside  each 
other  on  a  lounge  and  cried  earnestly,  hand  in  hand, 
for  nearly  ten  minutes. 

"I'm  so  glad  you'll  take  it ! "  said  Willy,  when  Miss 
Barbara  went  into  her  room,  "and  you  may  be  just  as 
sure  as  you're  sure  of  anything  that  nobody  but  our 
two  selves  will  ever  know  anything  about  it ! " 

Immediately  after  luncheon  Miss  Barbara  went  by 
herself  to  the  post-office,  and  when  she  came  back  her 
sister  said  to  her  that  New  York  must  just  be  begin 
ning  to  agree  with  her. 

"It  is  astonishing,"  said  Miss  Eleanor,  "how  long  it 
takes  some  people  to  get  used  to  a  change,  but  it  often 
happens  that  if  one  stays  long  enough  in  the  new 
place,  great  benefit  will  be  experienced,  whereas,  if 
the  stay  is  short,  there  may  be  no  good  result  what- 
ever ! " 

That  afternoon  Mrs.  Cliff  actually  laughed  at  Miss 
Barbara— a  thing  she  had  never  done  before.  They 
were  in  a  large  jewelry  store,  where  they  were  looking 
at  clocks,  and  Miss  Barbara,  who  had  evinced  a  sudden 
interest  in  the  beautiful  things  about  her,  called  Mrs. 
ClifPs  attention  to  a  lovely  necklace  of  pearls. 

"If  I  were  you,"  said  Miss  Barbara,  "I  would  buy 
something  like  that !  I  should  not  want  to  wear  it, 
perhaps,  but  it  would  be  so  delightful  to  sit  and  look 
at  it ! " 

The  idea  of  Miss  Barbara  thinking  of  buying  neck 
laces  of  pearls  !  No  wonder  Mrs.  Cliff  laughed. 

When  the  party  returned  to  Plainton,  Mrs.  Cliff 
was  amazed  to  find  her  new  house  almost  completely 
furnished;  and  no  time  was  lost  in  proposing  the 

127 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

Thorpdyke  project,  for  Mrs.  Cliff  felt  that  it  would 
be  wise  to  make  the  proposition  while  the  sense  of 
companionship  was  still  fresh  upon  them  all. 

Miss  Thorpdyke  was  very  much  surprised  when 
the  plan  was  proposed  to  her,  but  it  produced  a  pleas 
ant  effect  upon  her.  She  had  much  enjoyed  the  com 
pany  she  had  been  in.  She  had  always  liked  society, 
and  lately  had  had  very  little  of  it,  for  no  matter 
how  good  and  lovable  sisters  may  be,  they  are  some 
times  a  little  tiresome  when  they  are  sole  companions. 

As  to  Barbara,  she  trembled  as  she  thought  of  Mrs. 
Cliff's  offer— trembled  with  joy,  which  she  could  not 
repress,  and  trembled  with  fear  that  her  sister  might 
not  accept  it.  But  it  was  of  no  use  for  her  to  say  any 
thing,  and  she  said  nothing.  Eleanor  always  decided 
such  questions  as  these. 

After  a  day's  consideration,  Miss  Thorpdyke  came 
to  a  conclusion,  and  she  sent  Miss  Barbara  with  a  mes 
sage  to  Mrs.  Cliff  to  the  effect  that  as  the  winters  were 
always  lonely,  and  as  it  would  be  very  pleasant  for 
them  all  to  be  together,  she  would,  if  Mrs.  Cliff  thought 
it  would  be  an  advantage  to  her,  come  with  her  sister 
and  live  in  some  portion  of  the  new  building  which 
Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  intend  to  be  otherwise  occupied, 
and  that  they  would  pay  whatever  board  Mrs.  Cliff 
thought  reasonable  and  proper,  but  in  order  to  do 
this,  it  would  be  necessary  for  them  to  rent  their  pres 
ent  home.  They  would  offer  this  house  fully  fur 
nished,  reserving  the  privilege  of  removing  the  most 
valuable  heirlooms  which  it  now  contained,  and,  as 
soon  as  such  an  arrangement  could  be  made,  they 
would  be  willing  to  come  to  Mrs.  Cliff  and  remain 
with  her  during  the  winter. 

128 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

When  Miss  Barbara  had  heard  this  decision  her 
heart  had  fallen.  She  knew  that  it  would  be  almost 
impossible  to  find  a  tenant  who  would  take  that  house, 
especially  for  winter  occupancy,  and  that  even  if  a 
tenant  could  be  found  the  rent  would  be  very  little. 
She  knew,  moreover,  that  having  come  to  a  decision, 
Eleanor  could  not  be  moved  from  it. 

She  found  Mr.  Burke  and  Willy  with  Mrs.  Cliff, 
but  as  he  knew  all  about  the  project,  and  had  taken 
great  interest  in  it,  she  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  her 
message  before  him.  Mrs.  Cliff  was  very  much  dis 
appointed. 

"That  ends  the  matter  !"  said  she.  "  Your  house 
cannot  be  rented  for  the  winter  ! " 

"I  don't  know  about  that ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Burke 
"By  George !  I'll  take  the  house  myself!  I  want  a 
house— I  want  just  such  a  house.  I  want  it  furnished, 
—except  I  don't  want  to  be  responsible  for  old  heir 
looms,— and  I'm  willing  to  pay  a  fair  and  reasonable 
rent  for  it.  And  I'm  sure,  although  I  never  had  the 
pleasure  of  being  in  it,  it  ought  to  bring  rent  enough 
to  pay  the  board  of  any  two  ladies  any  winter,  wher 
ever  they  might  be  ! " 

"But,  Mr.  Burke,"  Miss  Barbara  said,  her  voice 
shaking  as  she  spoke,  "I  must  tell  you  that  the  roof 
is  very  much  out  of  repair,  and—" 

"Oh,  that  doesn't  matter  at  all ! "  said  Burke.  "A 
tenant,  if  he's  the  right  sort  of  tenant,  is  bound  to  put 
a  house  into  repair  to  suit  himself.  I'll  attend  to  the 
roof,  if  it  needs  it— you  may  be  sure  of  that !  And  if 
it  doesn't  need  it,  I'll  leave  it  just  as  it  is  !  That'll  be 
all  right  and  you  can  tell  your  sister  that  you've 
found  a  tenant.  I'm  getting  dreadfully  tired  of  living 

129 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

at  that  hotel,  and  a  house  of  my  own  is  something  that 
I've  never  had  before  !  But  one  thing  I  must  ask  of 
you,  Miss  Thorpdyke :  don't  say  anything  to  your 
sister  about  tobacco  smoke,  and  perhaps  she  will 
never  think  of  it ! " 


130 


CHAPTEK  XV 

MISS  NANCY  MAKES    A  CALL 

IT  was  a  day  or  two  after  the  most  satisfactory  arrange 
ment  between  the  Thorpdykes,  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  Mr. 
Burke  had  been  concluded,  and  before  it  had  been 
made  public,  that  Miss  Nancy  Shott  came  to  call 
upon  Mrs.  Cliff. 

As  she  walked,  stiff  as  a  grenadier,  and  almost  as 
tall,  she  passed  by  the  new  building  without  turning 
her  head  even  to  glance  at  it,  and  going  directly  up 
to  the  front  door  of  the  old  house,  she  rang  the  bell. 

As  Mrs.  Cliff's  domestic  household  were  all  engaged 
in  the  new  part  of  the  building,  the  bell  was  not 
heard,  and  after  waiting  nearly  a  minute,  Miss  Shott 
rang  it  again,  with  such  vigor  that  the  door  was  soon 
opened  by  a  maid,  who  informed  her  that  Mrs.  Cliff 
was  not  at  home,  but  that  Miss  Croup  was  in. 

"Very  well,"  said  Miss  Shott,  "I'll  see  her ! "  And, 
passing  the  servant,  she  entered  the  old  parlor. 

The  maid  followed  her. 

"There's  no  fire  here,"  she  said.  "Won't  you  please 
walk  into  the  other  part  of  the  house,  which  is  heated  ? 
Miss  Croup  is  over  there." 

"No  1 "  said  Miss  Shott,  seating  herself  upon  the 
131 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Sofa.     "This  suits  me  very  well,  and  Willy  Croup  can 
<jome  to  me  here  as  well  as  anywhere  else  ! " 

Presently  Willy  arrived,  wishing  very  much  that 
she  also  had  been  out. 

"Do  come  over  to  the  other  parlor,  Miss  Shott ! " 
said  she.  "There's  no  furnace  heat  here,  because  Mrs. 
Cliff  didn't  want  the  old  house  altered,  and  we  use 
this  room  so  little  that  we  haven't  made  a  fire." 

"I  thought  you  had  the  chimney  put  in  order ! " 
said  Miss  Shott,  without  moving  from  her  seat. 
"Doesn't  it  work  right?" 

Willy  assured  her  visitor  that  the  chimney  was  in 
good  condition,  so  far  as  she  knew,  and  repeated  her 
invitation  to  come  into  a  warmer  room,  but  to  this 
Miss  Shott  paid  no  attention. 

"It's  an  old  saying,"  said  she,  "that  a  bad  chimney 
saves  fuel !  I  understand  that  you've  all  been  to  New 
York  shopping  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Willy,  laughing,  "it  was  a  kind  of 
shopping,  but  that's  not  exactly  what  I'd  call  it ! " 
And  perceiving  that  Miss  Shott  intended  to  remain 
where  she  was,  she  took  a  seat. 

"Well,  of  course,"  said  Miss  Shott,  "everybody's  got 
to  act  according  to  their  own  judgments  and  con 
sciences  !  If  I  was  going  to  buy  winter  things,  I'd  do 
what  I  could  to  help  the  business  of  my  own  town, 
and  if  I  did  happen  to  want  anything  I  couldn't  get 
here,  I'd  surely  go  to  Harrington,  where  the  people 
might  almost  be  called  neighbors  ! " 

Willy  laughed  outright.  "Oh,  Miss  Shott,"  she 
said,  "you  couldn't  buy  the  things  we  bought,  in  Har 
rington  !  I  don't  believe  they  could  be  found  in 
Boston ! " 

132 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"I  was  speaking  about  myself,"  said  Miss  Nancy. 
"I  could  find  anything  I  wanted  in  Harrington,  and 
if  my  wants  went  ahead  of  what  they  had  there,  I 
should  say  that  my  wants  were  going  too  far,  and 
ought  to  be  curbed  !  And  so  you  took  those  poor  old 
Thorpdyke  women  with  you.  I  expect  they  must 
be  nearly  fagged  out.  I  don't  see  how  the  oldest  one 
ever  stood  being  dragged  from  store  to  store  all  over 
New  York,  as  she  must  have  been !  She's  a  pretty 
old  woman,  and  can't  be  expected  to  stand  even  what 
another  woman,  younger  than  she  is,  but  old  enough, 
and  excited  by  having  money  to  spend,  can  stand ! 
It's  a  wonder  to  me  that  you  brought  her  back  alive  ! " 

"Miss  Eleanor  came  back  a  great  deal  better  than 
she  was  when  she  left ! "  exclaimed  Willy,  indignantly. 
"  She'll  tell  you,  if  you  ask  her,  that  that  visit  to  New 
York  did  her  a  great  deal  of  good." 

"No,  she  won't!"  said  Miss  Shott,  "for  she  don't 
speak  to  me.  It's  been  two  years  since  I  had  any 
thing  to  do  with  her  ! " 

Willy  knew  all  about  the  quarrel  between  the 
Thorpdyke  ladies  and  Nancy,  and  wished  to  change 
the  subject. 

"Don't  you  want  to  go  and  look  at  the  new  part  of 
the  house?  "  she  said.  "Perhaps  you'd  like  to  see  the 
things  we've  bought  in  New  York,  and  it's  cold  here  ! " 

To  this  invitation  and  the  subsequent  remark  Miss 
Shott  paid  no  attention.  She  did  not  intend  to  give 
Willy  the  pleasure  of  showing  her  over  the  house,  and 
it  was  not  at  all  necessary,  for  she  had  seen  nearly 
everything  in  it.  During  the  absence  of  Mrs.  Cliff  she 
had  made  many  visits  to  the  house,  and  as  she  was 
acquainted  with  the  woman  who  had  been  left  in 

133 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

charge,  she  had  examined  every  room,  from  ground 
to  roof,  and  had  scrutinized  and  criticised  the  carpets 
as  they  had  been  laid,  and  the  furniture  as  it  had  been 
put  in  place. 

She  saw  that  Willy  was  beginning  to  shiver  a  little, 
and  was  well  satisfied  that  she  should  feel  cold.  It 
would  help  take  the  conceit  out  of  her.  As  for  herself, 
she  wore  a  warm  cloak  and  did  not  mind  a  cold  room. 

"I'm  told,"  she  said,  "that  Mrs.  Cliff's  putting  up  a 
new  stable.  What  was  the  matter  with  the  old  one  ? " 

"It  wasn't  big  enough,"  said  Willy. 

"It  holds  two  horses,  don't  it?— and  what  could  any 
body  want  more  than  that,  I'd  like  to  know  ! " 

Willy  was  now  getting  a  little  out  of  temper. 

"That's  not  enough  for  Mrs.  Cliff,"  she  said.  "She's 
going  to  have  a  nice  carriage  and  a  pair  of  horses,  and 
a  regular  coachman,  not  Andrew  Marks  ! " 

"Well ! "  said  Miss  Shott,  and  for  a  few  moments 
she  sat  silent.  Then  she  spoke :  "I  suppose  Mrs. 
Cliff's  goin'  to  take  boarders." 

"Boarders!"  cried  Willy.  "What  makes  you  say 
such  a  thing  as  that  ?  " 

"If  she  isn't,"  said  Miss  Shott,  "I  don't  see  what  she'll 
do  with  all  the  rooms  in  that  new  part  of  the  house." 

"She's  goin'  to  live  in  it,"  said  Willy.  "That's 
what  she's  goin'  to  do  with  it ! " 

"Boarders  are  very  uncertain,"  remarked  Miss 
Shott,  "and  just  as  likely  to  be  a  loss  as  a  profit.  Mr. 
Williams  tried  it  at  the  hotel  summer  after  summer, 
and  if  he  couldn't  make  anything,  I  don't  see  how 
Mrs.  Cliff  can  expect  to." 

"She  doesn't  expect  to  take  boarders,  and  you  know 
it ! "  said  Willy. 

134 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Miss  Shott  folded  her  hands  upon  her  lap. 

"It's  goin'  to  be  a  dreadful  hard  winter.  I  never 
did  see  so  many  acorns  and  chestnuts,  and  there's 
more  cedar  berries  on  the  trees  than  I've  ever  known 
in  all  my  life !  I  expect  there'll  be  awful  distress 
among  the  poor,  and  when  I  say  'poor'  I  don't  mean 
people  that's  likely  to  suffer  for  food  and  a  night's 
lodging,  but  respectable  people  who  have  to  work  hard, 
and  calculate  day  and  night  how  to  make  both  ends 
meet.  These're  the  folks  that're  goin'  to  suffer  in  body 
and  mind  this  winter.  And  if  people  that's  got  more 
money  than  they  know  what  to  do  with,  and  don't 
care  to  save  up  for  old  age  and  a  rainy  day,  would 
think  sometimes  of  their  deserving  neighbors  who 
have  to  pinch  and  suffer  when  they're  goin'  round 
buyin'  rugs  that  must  have  cost  at  least  as  much  as 
twenty  dollars  apiece,  and  which  they  don't  need  at 
all,  there  bein'  carpet  already  on  the  floor,  it  would 
be  more  to  their  credit  and  benefit  to  their  fellow- 
beings.  But,  of  course,  one  person's  conscience  isn't 
another  person's,  and  we've  each  got  to  judge  for 
ourselves,  and  be  judged  afterwards  ! " 

Now  Willy  leaned  forward  in  her  chair,  and  her 
eyes  glistened.  As  her  body  grew  colder,  so  did  her 
temper  grow  warmer. 

"If  it's  Mrs.  Cliff  you're  thinkin'  about,  Nancy 
Shott,"  said  she,  "I'll  just  tell  you  that  you're  as 
wrong  as  you  can  be !  There  isn't  a  more  generous 
and  a  kinder  person  in  this  whole  town  than  Mrs. 
Cliff  is,  and  she  isn't  only  that  way  to-day,  but  she's 
always  been  so,  whether  she's  had  little  or  whether 
she's  had  much  ! " 

"What  did  she  ever  do,  I'd  like  to  know?"  said 
135 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Miss  Nancy.  "She's  lined  her  own  nest  pretty  well, 
but  what's  she  ever  done  for  anybody  else—" 

"Now,  Nancy  Shott,"  said  Willy,  "you  know  she's 
been  doin'  for  other  people  all  her  life,  whenever  she 
could  !  She's  done  for  you  more  than  once,  as  I  hap 
pen  to  know,  and  she's  done  for  other  neighbors  and 
friends.  And,  more  than  that,  she's  gone  abroad  to  do 
good,  and  that's  more  than  anybody  else  in  this  town's 
done,  as  I  know  of ! " 

"She  didn't  go  to  South  America  to  do  good  to  any 
body  but  herself,"  coolly  remarked  the  visitor. 

"I'm  not  thinking  of  that ! "  said  Willy.  "She  went 
there  on  business,  as  everybody  knows !  But  you 
remember  well  enough,  when  she  was  in  the  city,  and 
I  was  with  her,  when  the  dreadful  cholera  times  came 
on  !  Everybody  said  that  there  wasn't  a  person  who 
worked  harder  and  did  more  for  the  poor  people  who 
were  brought  to  the  hospital  than  Sarah  did.  She 
worked  for  them  night  and  day,  before  they  were 
dead  and  after  they  were  dead  !  I  did  what  I  could, 
but  it  wasn't  nothin'  to  what  she  did !  Both  of 
us  had  been  buyin'  things,  and  makin'  them  up  for 
ourselves,  for  cotton  and  linen  goods  was  so  cheap 
then.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  the  troubles  which  came 
on,  we'd  had  enough  to  last  us  for  years  !  But  Sarah 
Cliff  isn't  the  kind  of  woman  to  keep  things  for  herself 
when  they're  wanted  by  others,  and  when  she  had 
given  everything  that  she  had  to  those  poor  creatures 
at  the  hospitals,  she  took  my  things,  without  as  much 
as  takin'  the  trouble  to  ask  me,  for  in  times  like  that 
she  isn't  the  woman  to  hesitate  when  she  thinks  she's 
doin'  what  ought  to  be  done,  and  at  one  time,  in  that 
hospital,  there  was  eleven  corpses  in  my  night-gowns  ! " 

136 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"Horrible ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Shott,  rising  to  her 
feet.  "It  would  have  killed  me  to  think  of  such  a 
thing  as  that ! " 

"Well,  if  it  would  have  killed  you,"  said  "Willy, 
"there  was  another  night-gown  left." 

"If  you're  going  to  talk  that  way,"  said  Miss  Shott, 
"I  might  as  well  go.  I  supposed  that  when  I  came 
here  I  would  at  least  have  been  treated  civilly  ! " 


137 


CHAPTEE   XVI 

MR.   BURKE  MAKES  A  CALL 

MRS.  CLIFF  now  began  her  life  as  a  rich  woman.  The 
Thorpdykes  were  established  in  the  new  building; 
her  carriage  and  horses,  with  a  coachman  in  plain 
livery,  were  seen  upon  the  streets  of  Plainton;  she 
gave  dinners  and  teas,  and  subscribed  in  a  modestly 
open  way  to  appropriate  charities ;  she  extended  suit 
able  aid  to  the  members  of  Mrs.  Ferguson's  family, 
both  living  and  departed  j  and  the  fact  that  she  was 
willing  to  help  in  church- work  was  made  very  plain 
by  a  remark  of  Miss  Shott,  who,  upon  a  certain  Sun 
day  morning,  at  the  conclusion  of  services,  happened 
to  stop  in  front  of  Mrs.  Cliff,  who  was  going  out  of  the 
church. 

"Oh,"  said  Miss  Shott,  suddenly  stepping  very  much 
to  one  side,  "I  wouldn't  have  got  in  your  way  if  I'd 
remembered  that  it  was  you  who  pays  the  new  choir  ! " 

Mr.  Burke  established  himself  in  the  Thorpdyke 
house,  which  he  immediately  repaired  from  top  to  bot 
tom.  But  although  he  frequently  repeated  to  himself 
and  to  his  acquaintances  that  he  had  now  set  up 
housekeeping  in  just  the  way  that  he  had  always 
wished  for,  with  plenty  of  servants  to  do  everything 

138 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

just  as  he  wanted  it  done,  he  was  not  happy,  never 
theless.  He  felt  the  loss  of  the  stirring  occupation 
which  had  so  delighted  him,  and  his  active  mind  con 
tinually  looked  right  and  left  for  something  to  do. 

He  spoke  to  Mrs.  Cliff  in  regard  to  the  propriety 
of  proposing  to  the  Thorpdykes  that  he  should  build 
an  addition  to  their  house,  declaring  that  such  an 
addition  would  make  the  old  mansion  ever  so  much 
more  valuable,  and  as  to  the  cost,  he  would  arrange 
that  so  that  they  would  never  feel  the  payment  of  it. 
But  this  suggestion  met  with  no  encouragement,  and 
poor  Burke  was  so  hard  put  to  it  for  something  to 
occupy  his  mind  that  one  day  he  asked  Mrs.  Cliff  if 
she  had  entirely  given  up  her  idea  of  employing  some 
of  her  fortune  for  the  benefit  of  the  native  Peruvians, 
stating  that  if  she  wanted  an  agent  to  go  down  there 
to  attend  to  that  sort  of  thing,  he  believed  he  would 
be  glad  to  go  himself. 

But  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  intend  to  send  anything  to 
the  native  Peruvians.  According  to  the  arrangements 
that  Captain  Horn  had  made  for  their  benefit,  they 
would  have  as  large  a  share  of  the  Incas'  gold  as  they 
could  possibly  claim,  and,  therefore,  she  did  not  feel 
herself  called  upon  to  do  anything.  "If  we  had  kept 
it  all,"  she  said,  "that  would  have  been  a  different 
thing ! " 

In  fact,  Mrs.  Cliff's  conscience  was  now  in  a  very 
easy  and  satisfied  condition.  She  did  not  feel  that 
she  owed  anything  to  her  fellow-beings  that  she 
was  not  giving  them,  or  that  she  owed  anything  to 
herself  that  she  was  not  giving  to  herself.  The  ex 
penses  of  building  and  of  the  improvements  to  her 
spacious  grounds  had  been  of  so  much  assistance  in 

139 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

removing  the  plethora  of  her  income  that  she  was 
greatly  encouraged.  She  felt  that  she  now  had  her 
fortune  under  control,  and  that  she  herself  might  be 
able  to  manage  it  for  the  future.  Already  she  was 
making  her  plans  for  the  next  year. 

Many  schemes  she  had  for  the  worthy  disposition  of 
her  wealth,  and  the  more  she  thought  of  them  and 
planned  their  details,  the  less  inclined  she  felt  to  leave 
for  an  hour  or  two  her  spacious  and  sumptuous  apart 
ments  in  the  new  building,  and  go  back  to  her  little 
former  home,  where  she  might  think  of  old  times, 
and  relieve  her  mind  from  the  weight  of  the  novelty 
and  the  richness  of  her  new  dining-room  and  its 
adjuncts. 

Often,  as  she  sat  in  her  stately  drawing-room,  she 
longed  for  her  old  friend  Edna,  and  wished  that  she 
and  the  captain  might  come  and  see  how  well  she  had 
used  her  share  of  the  great  fortune. 

But  Captain  Horn  and  his  wife  were  far  away.  Mrs. 
Cliff  had  frequent  letters  from  Edna,  which  described 
their  leisurely  and  delightful  travels  in  the  South  and 
West.  Their  minds  and  bodies  had  been  so  strained 
and  tired  by  hard  thinking  and  hard  work  that  all 
they  wanted  now  was  an  enjoyment  of  life  and  the 
world  as  restful  and  as  tranquil  as  they  could  make 
it.  After  a  time  they  would  choose  some  happy  spot, 
and  make  for  themselves  a  home.  Three  of  the  negroes, 
Maka  and  Cheditafa  and  Mok,  were  with  them,  and 
the  others  had  been  left  on  a  farm  where  they  might 
study  methods  of  American  agriculture  until  the 
time  should  come  when  the  captain  should  require 
their  services  on  his  estate.  Kalph  was  in  Boston, 
where,  in  spite  of  his  independent  ideas  in  regard  to 

140 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

his   education,   he  was  preparing  himself  to  enter 
Harvard. 

"I  know  what  the  captain  means  when  he  speaks  of 
settling  down ! "  said  Burke,  when  he  heard  of  this. 
"He'll  buy  a  canon  and  two  or  three  counties,  and 
live  out  there  like  a  lord !  And  if  he  does  that,  I'll 
go  out  and  see  him.  I  want  to  see  this  Inca  money 
sprouting  and  flourishing  a  good  deal  more  than  it  has 
done  yet ! " 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Don't 
you  call  this  splendid  house  and  everything  in  it  a 
sign  of  sprouting  and  flourishing  ?  " 

"Oh,  my  dear  madam,"  said  Burke,  rising  from  his 
seat  and  walking  the  floor,  "if  you  could  have  looked 
through  the  hole  in  the  top  of  the  mound,  and  have 
seen  under  you  cart-loads  and  cart-loads  of  pure  gold, 
and  had  let  your  mind  rest  on  what  might  have  grown 
out  of  it,  a  house  like  this  would  have  seemed  like  an 
acorn  on  an  oak-tree  ! " 

"And  you  think  the  captain  will  have  the  oak- 
tree  f  "  she  asked. 

"Yes,"  said  Burke,  "I  think  he's  the  sort  of  man  to 
want  it,  and  if  he  wants  it  he'll  have  it ! " 

There  were  days  when  the  weather  was  very  bad, 
and  time  hung  unusually  heavy  upon  Mr.  Burke's 
hands,  when  he  thought  it  might  be  a  good  thing  to 
get  married.  He  had  a  house,  and  money  enough  to 
keep  a  wife  as  well  as  any  woman  who  would  have 
him  had  any  reason  to  expect.  But  there  were  two 
objections  to  this  plan  :  in  the  first  place,  what  would 
he  do  with  his  wife  after  he  got  tired  of  living  in  the 
Thorpdyke  house  ;  and  secondly,  where  could  he  find 
anybody  he  would  like  to  marry? 

141 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

He  had  female  acquaintances  in  Plainton,  but  not 
one  of  them  seemed  to  have  the  qualifications  he  would 
desire  in  a  wife.  Willy  Croup  was  a  good-natured 
and  pleasant  woman,  and  he  always  liked  to  talk  to 
her,  but  she  was  too  old  for  him.  He  might  like  to 
adopt  her  as  a  maiden  aunt,  but  then  that  would  not 
be  practicable,  for  Mrs.  Cliff  would  not  be  willing  to 
give  her  up. 

At  this  time  Burke  would  have  gone  to  make  a 
visit  to  his  mother,  but  there  was  also  an  objection  to 
this.  He  would  not  have  dared  to  present  himself 
before  her  in  his  fur-trimmed  overcoat  and  his  high 
silk  hat.  She  was  a  true  sailor's  mother,  and  she 
would  have  laughed  him  to  scorn,  and  so  habituated 
had  he  become  to  the  dress  of  a  fine  gentleman  that  it 
would  have  seriously  interfered  with  his  personal 
satisfaction  to  put  on  the  rough  winter  clothes  in 
which  his  mother*would  expect  to  see  him. 

The  same  reason  prevented  him  from  going  to  his 
old  friend  Shirley.  He  knew  very  well  that  Shirley 
did  not  wear  a  high  silk  hat  and  carry  a  cane,  and 
he  had  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  human  nature  and 
of  himself  to  know  that  if  his  present  personal  ap 
pearance  were  made  the  subject  of  ridicule,  or  even 
inordinate  surprise,  it  would  not  afford  him  the 
same  stimulating  gratification  which  he  now  derived 
from  it. 

Fortunately,  the  weather  grew  colder,  and  there 
was  snow  and  excellent  sleighing,  and  now  Burke 
sent  for  a  fine  double  sleigh,  and,  with  a  fur  cap,  a 
great  fur  collar  over  his  overcoat,  fur  gloves,  and  an 
enormous  lap-robe  of  fur,  he  jingled  and  glided  over 
the  country  in  great  delight,  enjoying  the  sight  of  the 

142 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

fur-garbed  coachman  in  front  of  him  almost  as  much 
as  the  glittering  snow  and  the  crisp,  fresh  air. 

He  invited  the  ladies  of  the  Cliff  mansion  to  accom 
pany  him  in  these  sleigh-rides,  and  although  the  Misses 
Thorpdyke  did  not  fancy  such  cold  amusement,  Mrs. 
Cliff  and  Willy  went  with  him  a  few  times,  and  once 
Willy  accompanied  him  alone. 

This  positively  decided  the  opinion  of  Plainton  in 
regard  to  his  reason  for  living  in  that  town.  But 
there  were  those  who  said  that  he  might  yet  discover 
that  his  plans  would  not  succeed.  Mrs.  Cliff  now 
seemed  to  be  in  remarkably  good  health,  and  as  it 
was  not  likely  that  Mr.  Burke  would  actually  propose 
marriage  to  Willy  until  he  saw  some  signs  of  failing 
in  Mrs.  Cliff,  he  might  have  to  wait  a  long,  long  time, 
during  which  his  intended  victim  would  probably  grow 
so  wrinkled  and  old  that  even  the  most  debased  of 
fortune-hunters  would  refuse  to  have  her.  Then,  of 
course,  the  fine  gentleman  would  find  out  that  he  had 
lost  all  the  time  he  had  spent  scheming  here  in 
Plainton. 

The  Buskirks  were  spending  this  winter  in  their 
country  home,  and  one  afternoon  Mr.  Burke  thought 
he  would  drive  up  in  his  sleigh  and  make  a  call  upon 
them.  He  had  been  there  before,  but  had  seen  no 
one,  and  some  weeks  afterwards  Mr.  Buskirk  had 
dropped  in  at  the  hotel,  but  had  not  found  him. 
This  sort  of  visiting  did  not  suit  our  friend  Burke, 
and  he  determined  to  go  and  see  what  a  Buskirk  was 
really  like. 

Having  jingled  and  pranced  up  to  the  front  of  the 
handsome  mansion  on  the  hill,  and  having  been  in 
formed  that  the  gentleman  of  the  house  was  not  at 

143 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

home,  he  asked  for  his  lady,  and,  as  she  was  in,  he  was 
ushered  into  a  parlor.  Here,  having  thrown  aside 
some  of  his  superincumbent  furs,  George  Burke  sat 
and  looked  about  him.  He  had  plenty  of  time  for 
observation,  for  it  was  long  before  Mrs.  Buskirk  made 
her  appearance. 

With  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Cliff's  house,  with  which 
he  had  had  so  much  to  do,  Burke  had  never  before 
been  inside  a  dwelling  belonging  to  a  very  rich  per 
son,  and  the  Buskirk  mansion  interested  him  very 
much.  Although  he  was  so  little  familiar  with  fine 
furniture,  pictures,  and  bric-a-brac,  he  was  a  man  of 
quick  perceptions  and  good  judgment,  and  it  did  not 
take  him  long  to  discover  that  the  internal  furnish 
ings  of  the  Buskirk  house  were  far  inferior  to  those 
of  the  addition  to  Mrs.  Cliff's  old  home. 

The  room  in  which  he  sat  was  large  and  pretentious, 
but  when  it  had  been  furnished  there  had  been  no 
lady  of  good  family,  accustomed  to  the  furnishings  of 
wealth  and  culture,  and  with  an  artistic  taste  gained 
in  travel  at  home  and  abroad,  to  superintend  the 
selection  of  these  pictures,  this  carpet,  and  the  cover 
ings  of  this  furniture. 

He  laughed  within  himself  as  he  sat,  his  fur  cape  on 
his  knees  and  his  silk  hat  in  his  hand,  and  he  was  so 
elated  and  pleased  with  the  knowledge  of  the  superi 
ority  of  Mrs.  Cliff's  home  over  this  house  of  the  proud 
city  people  who  had  so  long  looked  down  upon  Plain- 
ton,  that  he  entirely  forgot  his  intention  of  recalling, 
as  he  sat  in  the  fine  parlor  of  the  Buskirks,  the  olden 
times  when  he  used  to  get  up  early  in  the  morning 
and  swab  the  deck. 

"These  people  ought  to  come  down  and  see  Mrs. 
144 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

Cliff's  house,"  thought  Burke,  "and  I'll  make  them  do 
it,  if  I  can  ! " 

When  Mrs.  Buskirk,  a  lady  who  had  always  found 
it  necessary  to  place  strong  guards  around  her  social 
position,  made  her  appearance,  she  received  her 
visitor  with  an  attentive  civility.  She  had  been  im 
pressed  by  his  appearance  when  she  had  seen  him 
grandly  careering  in  his  barouche  01  his  sleigh,  and 
she  was  still  more  impressed  as  she  saw  him  in  her 
parlor  with  additional  furs.  She  had  heard  he  had 
been  a  sailor,  and  now,  as  she  talked  to  him,  the  belief 
grew  upon  her  that  he  might  yet  make  a  very  good 
sailor.  He  was  courteous,  entirely  at  his  ease,  and 
perhaps  a  little  too  bland,  and  Mrs.  Buskirk  thought 
that  although  her  husband  might  like  to  sit  and 
smoke  with  this  well-dressed,  sunburnt  man,  he  was 
not  a  person  very  desirable  for  the  society  of  herself 
and  daughters. 

But  she  was  willing  to  sit  and  talk  to  Mr.  Burke, 
for  she  wanted  to  ask  him  some  questions  about  Mrs. 
Cliff.  She  had  heard  about  that  lady's  new  house,  or 
rather  the  improvement  to  her  old  one,  and  she  had 
driven  past  it,  and  she  did  not  altogether  understand 
the  state  of  affairs. 

She  had  known  that  Mrs.  Cliff  was  the  widow  of  a 
storekeeper  of  the  town,  and  that  she  had  come  into 
possession  of  a  portion  of  a  treasure  which  had  been 
discovered  somewhere  in  the  West  Indies  or  South 
America,  but  those  portions  of  treasures  which  might 
be  allotted  to  the  widow  of  a  storekeeper  in  a  little 
country  town  were  not  likely  to  be  very  much,  and 
Mrs.  Buskirk  was  anxious  to  know  something  definite 
about  Mrs.  Cliff's  present  circumstances. 

145 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Burke  felt  a  little  embarrassed  in  regard  to  his 
answers.  He  knew  that  Mrs.  Cliff  was  very  anxious 
not  to  appear  as  a  millionaire  in  the  midst  of  the 
friends  and  associations  of  her  native  town— at  least, 
that  she  did  not  desire  to  do  so  until  her  real  financial 
position  had  been  gradually  understood  and  accepted. 
She  would  dislike  nothing  so  much  as  to  be  regarded 
as  the  people  in  her  social  circle  regarded  the  Bus- 
kirks  on  the  hill. 

So  Burke  did  not  blaze  out  as  he  would  have  liked 
to  do  with  a  true  and  faithful  statement  of  Mrs.  Cliffs 
great  wealth,— far  in  excess,  he  was  very  sure,  of  that 
of  the  fine  lady  with  whom  he  was  talking,— but  he 
said  everything  he  could  in  a  modest  way,  or  what 
seemed  so  to  him,  in  regard  to  his  friend's  house  and 
belongings. 

"But  it  seems  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Buskirk,  "that  it's 
a  very  strange  thing  for  any  one  to  build  a  house 
such  as  the  one  you  describe  in  such  a  neighborhood, 
when  there  are  so  many  desirable  locations  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town.  The  houses  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  street  are  very  small— some  of  them  even 
mean.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  there  is  a  little  shop  some 
where  along  there  !  I  should  consider  that  that  sort 
of  thing  would  spoil  any  house,  no  matter  how  good 
it  might  be  in  itself!" 

"Oh,  that  makes  no  difference  whatever ! "  said 
Burke,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  and  delighted  to 
remember  a  proposition  he  had  made  to  Mrs.  Cliff, 
and  which  she  had  viewed  with  favor.  "  Mrs.  Cliff 
will  soon  settle  all  that!  She's  going  to  buy  that 
whole  block  opposite  to  her  and  make  a  park  of  it. 
She'll  clear  away  all  the  houses,  and  everything  be- 

146 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 

longing  to  them,  and  she'll  plant  trees,  and  lay  out 
lawns  and  driveways,  and  have  a  regular  landscape- 
gardener  who'll  superintend  everything.  And  she's 
going  to  have  the  water  brought  in  pipes  which  will 
end  in  some  great  rocks,  which  we'll  have  hauled  from 
the  woods,  and  from  under  these  rocks  a  brook  will 
flow  and  meander  through  the  park.  And  there'll  be 
flowers,  and  reeds,  and  rushes,  and,  very  likely,  a 
fountain  with  the  spare  water.  That  will  be  a 
public  park  for  the  use  of  the  whole  town,  and  you 
can  see  for  yourself,  madam,  that  it'll  be  a  grand 
thing  to  look  out  from  Mrs.  Cliff's  windows  on  such  a 
beautiful  place !  It  will  be  fitted  up  and  railed  off 
very  much  after  the  style  of  her  own  grounds,  so  that 
the  whole  thing  will  be  like  a  great  estate  right  in 
the  middle  of  the  town.  She's  thinkin'  of  callin'  the 
park  the  t  Grove  of  the  Incas.'  That  sounds  nice, 
don't  you  think  so,  madam?" 

"It  sounds  very  well,  indeed/'  said  Mrs.  Buskirk. 
She  had  heard  before  of  plans  made  by  people  who 
had  suddenly  come  into  possession  of  money. 

Burke  saw  that  he  had  not  yet  made  the  impres 
sion  that  he  desired.  He  wanted,  without  actually 
saying  so,  to  let  this  somewhat  supercilious  lady  know 
that  if  the  possession  of  money  was  a  reason  for  social 
position,— and  he  knew  of  no  other  reason  for  the 
Buskirks'  position,— Mrs.  Cliff  would  be  aft,  talking  to 
the  captain,  while  the  Buskirks  would  be  walking 
about  by  themselves  amidship. 

But  he  did  not  know  how  to  do  this.  He  knew  it 
would  be  no  use  to  talk  about  horses  and  carriages, 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  for  these  the  Buskirks  pos 
sessed,  and  their  coachman  wore  top-boots— a  thing 

147 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Mrs.  Cliff  would  never  submit  to.  He  was  almost  on 
the  point  of  relinquishing  his  attempt  to  make  Mrs. 
Buskirk  call  upon  the  widow  of  the  storekeeper,  when 
the  lady  helped  him  by  asking,  in  a  casual  way,  if  Mrs. 
Cliff  proposed  living  winter  and  summer  in  her  new 
house. 

"No,"  said  Burke,  "not  in  the  summer.  I  hear 
Plainton  is  pretty  hot  in  the  summer,  and  she'll 
go—"  (a  radiant  thought  came  to  him)— "I  expect 
she'll  cruise  about  in  her  yacht  during  the  warm 
weather." 

"Her  yacht ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Buskirk,  for  the  first 
time  exhibiting  marks  of  actual  interest.  "Has  Mrs. 
Cliff  a  yacht?" 

"She's  going  to  have  one,"  said  Burke  to  himself, 
"and  I'll  put  her  up  to  it  before  I  go  home  this 
day." 

"Yes,"  he  said  aloud,  "that  is,  she  hasn't  got  it  yet, 
but  she's  going  to  have  it  as  soon  as  the  season  opens. 
I  shall  select  it  for  her.  I  know  all  about  yachts  and 
every  other  kind  of  craft,  and  she'll  have  one  of  the 
very  finest  on  this  coast.  She's  a  good  sailer,  Mrs. 
Cliff  is,  for  I've  cruised  with  her  !  And  nothing  will 
she  enjoy  better  in  hot  weather  than  her  noble  yacht 
and  the  open  sea ! " 

Now,  this  did  make  an  impression  upon  Mrs.  Bus 
kirk.  A  citizen  of  Plainton  who  possessed  a  yacht 
was  not  to  be  disregarded.  After  this  she  was  rather 
abstracted,  and  the  conversation  fell  off.  Burke  saw 
that  it  was  time  for  him  to  go,  and  as  he  had  now  said 
all  he  cared  to  say,  he  was  willing  to  do  so. 

In  parting  with  him  Mrs.  Buskirk  was  rather  more 
gracious  than  when  she  received  him.  "I  hope,  when 

148 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

you  call  again,"  she  said,  "that  you  may  find  my  hus 
band  at  home.     I  know  he  will  be  glad  to  see  you  ! " 

As  Burke  jingled  and  pranced  away,  he  grinned 
behind  his  great  fur  collar.  "She'll  call ! "  said  he  to 
himself.  "She'll  call  on  the  yacht,  if  she  doesn't  call 
on  anything  else  ! " 


149 


CHAPTER  XVII 

MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

WHEN  the  interview  with  Mrs.  Buskirk  was  reported 
that  afternoon  to  Mrs.  Cliff,  the  good  lady  sat  aghast. 
"I've  decided  about  the  park,"  she  said,  "and  that  is 
all  very  well.  But  what  do  you  mean  by  a  yacht? 
What  could  be  more  ridiculous  than  to  talk  about  me 
and  a  yacht ! " 

"Ridiculous  ! "  exclaimed  Burke.  "It's  nothing  of 
the  kind !  The  more  I  think  of  the  idea,  the  better 
I  like  it,  and  if  you'll  think  of  it  soberly,  I  believe 
you'll  like  it  just  as  much  as  I  do  !  In  the  first  place, 
you've  got  to  do  something  to  keep  your  money  from 
being  dammed  up  and  running  all  over  everything. 
This  house  and  furniture  cleared  away  things  for  a 
time,  but  the  whole  business  will  be  just  as  much 
clogged  up  as  it  was  before,  if  you  don't  look  out.  I 
don't  want  to  give  advice,  but  it  does  strike  me  that 
anybody  as  rich  as  you  are  oughtn't  to  feel  that  they 
could  afford  to  sit  still  here  in  Plainton,  year  in  and 
year  out,  no  matter  how  fine  a  house  they  might  have  ! 
They  ought  to  think  of  that  great  heap  of  gold  in  the 
mound,  and  feel  that  it  was  their  duty  to  get  all  the 
grand  and  glorious  good  out  of  it  that  they  knew 
how!" 

150 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

"But  it  does  seem  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "that  a 
yacht  would  be  an  absolute  extravagance  and  waste  of 
money.  And,  you  know,  I  have  firmly  determined  I 
will  not  waste  my  money." 

"To  call  sittin'  in  a  beautiful  craft,  on  a  rollin'  sea, 
with  a  spankin'  breeze,  a  waste  of  money,  is  some 
thing  I  can't  get  into  my  brain ! "  said  Mr.  Burke. 
"But  you  could  do  good  with  a  yacht.  You  could 
take  people  out  on  cruises  who  would  never  get  out  if 
you  didn't  take  them  !  And  now  I've  an  idea  !  It's 
just  come  to  me.  You  might  get  a  really  big  yacht. 
If  I  was  you,  I'd  have  a  steam-yacht,  because  you'd 
have  more  control  over  that  than  you'd  have  over  a 
sailin'- vessel,  and,  besides,  a  person  can  get  tired  of 
sailin'- vessels,  as  I've  found  out  myself.  And  then 
you  might  start  a  sort  of  summer  shelter  for  poor 
people— not  only  very  poor  people,  but  respectable 
people  who  never  get  a  chance  to  sniff  salt  air.  And 
you  might  spend  part  of  the  summer  in  giving  such 
people  what  would  be  the  same  as  country  weeks, 
only  you'd  take  them  out  to  sea  instead  of  shipping 
them  inland  to  dawdle  around  farms.  I  tell  you, 
that's  a  splendid  idea,  and  nobody's  done  it." 

Day  after  day,  the  project  of  the  yacht  was  discussed 
by  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Burke,  and  she  was  beginning  to 
view  its  benevolent  features  with  a  degree  of  favor 
when  Mrs.  Buskirk  called.  That  lady's  visit  was 
prompted  partly  by  a  curiosity  to  see  what  sort  of  a 
woman  was  the  widow  of  the  Plainton  storekeeper 
who  would  cruise  the  next  summer  in  her  yacht,  and 
partly  by  a  feeling  that  to  such  a  person  a  certain 
amount  of  respect  was  due,  even  from  a  Buskirk. 

But  when  she  entered  the  house,  passed  through 
151 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

the  great  hall,  and  seated  herself  in  the  drawing-room, 
she  saw  more  than  she  had  expected  to  see.  She  saw 
a  house  immeasurably  better  fitted  out  and  furnished 
than  her  own.  She  knew  the  value  of  the  rugs  which 
Miss  Shott  had  declared  must  have  cost  at  least  twenty 
dollars  each,  and  she  felt,  although  she  did  not  thor 
oughly  appreciate,  the  difference  in  artistic  merit 
between  the  pictures  upon  her  walls  and  the  masterly 
paintings  which  had  been  selected  by  the  ladies 
Thorpdyke  for  the  drawing-room  of  Mrs.  Cliff. 

The  discovery  startled  her.  She  must  talk  to  her 
husband  about  it  as  soon  as  he  reached  home.  It  was 
not  only  money,  but  a  vast  deal  of  money,  and  some 
thing  more,  which  had  done  all  this. 

She  had  asked  for  the  ladies,  knowing  that  Mrs. 
Cliff  did  not  live  alone,  and  all  the  ladies  were  at 
home.  Amid  those  surroundings,  the  elder  Miss 
Thorpdyke,  most  carefully  arrayed,  made  an  im 
pression  upon  Mrs.  Buskirk  very  different  from  that 
she  had  produced  on  the  occasion  of  their  single 
former  interview  in  the  darkened  little  parlor  of  the 
Thorpdyke  house. 

Mrs.  Cliff,  in  a  costume  quite  simple,  but  as  rich  as 
her  conscience  would  allow,  felt  within  herself  all  the 
uplifting  influence  of  her  wealth,  as  she  stepped  for 
ward  to  salute  this  lady  who  had  always  been  so 
uplifted  by  her  wealth. 

In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  the  yacht  was 
mentioned.  The  visitor  would  not  go  away  with 
out  being  authoritatively  informed  upon  this  sub 
ject. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  promptly,  "I  shall  have  a 
yacht  next  summer.  Mr.  Burke  will  select  one  for 

152 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

me,  and  I  know  it  will  be  a  good  one,  for  he  thor 
oughly  understands  such  matters." 

Before  she  left,  Mrs.  Buskirk  invited  Mrs.  Cliff,  the 
Misses  Thorpdyke,  and  Miss  Croup  to  take  luncheon 
with  her  quite  informally  on  the  following  Tuesday. 
She  would  have  made  it  a  dinner,  but  in  that  case 
her  husband  would  have  been  at  home,  and  it  would 
have  been  necessary  to  invite  Mr.  Burke,  and  she  was 
not  yet  quite  sure  about  Mr.  Burke. 

This  invitation,  which  soon  became  known  through 
out  the  town,  decided  the  position  of  Mrs.  Cliff  at 
Plainton.  When  that  lady  and  her  family  had  gone, 
with  her  carriage  and  pair,  to  the  mansion  of  the 
Buskirks  on  the  hill,  and  had  there  partaken  of 
luncheon,  very  informally,  in  company  with  three  of 
the  most  distinguished  ladies  of  Harrington,  who  had 
also  been  invited  very  informally,  and  when  the  news 
of  the  magnificent  repast  which  had  been  served  on 
the  occasion,  with  flowers  from  the  greenhouse  nearly 
covering  the  table,  with  everything  tied  up  with 
ribbons  which  could  possibly  be  so  decorated,  and 
with  a  present  for  each  guest  ingeniously  concealed 
under  her  napkin,  floated  down  into  the  town,  there 
was  no  woman  in  that  place  who  could  put  her  hand 
upon  her  heart  and  honestly  declare  that  hereafter 
Mrs.  Cliff  could  look  up  to  anybody  in  Plainton. 

This  recognition,  which  soon  became  obvious  to 
Mrs.  Cliff,  was  a  source  of  genuine  gratification  to 
that  good  lady.  She  had  never  been  inclined  to  put 
herself  above  her  neighbors  on  account  of  her  fortune, 
and  would  have  been  extremely  grieved  if  she  had 
been  convinced  that  her  wealth  would  oblige  her  to 
assume  a  superior  position ;  but  when  that  wealth 

153 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

gradually  and  easily,  without  creating  any  disturb 
ance  or  commotion  in  her  circle,  raised  her  of  itself, 
without  any  action  on  her  part,  to  the  peak  of  social 
eminence  in  her  native  place,  her  genuine  satisfaction 
was  not  interfered  with  in  the  least  degree  by  her 
conscience.  Her  position  had  come  to  her,  and  she 
had  assumed  it  as  if  she  had  been  born  to  it. 

But  whenever  she  thought  of  her  preeminence,— 
and  she  did  not  think  of  it  nearly  so  often  'as  other 
people  thought  of  it,— she  determined  that  it  should 
make  no  difference  to  her,  and  when  next  she  gave  a 
high  tea,— not  the  grand  repast  to  which  she  intended 
to  invite  the  Buskirks  on  the  hill,— she  invited  Miss 
Gushing.  Now,  there  were  people  in  Plainton  who 
did  not  invite  the  dressmaker  to  their  table,  but  Mrs. 
Cliff  had  asked  her  when  they  were  all  poor  together, 
and  she  would  have  her  now  again  when  they  were 
not  all  poor  together. 

As  the  winter  went  on,  Burke  became  more  and 
more  interested  in  Mrs.  Cliff's  yacht,  and  if  he  had 
not  had  this  subject  to  talk  about,  and  plan  about, 
and  to  go  at  all  hours  to  see  Mrs.  Cliff  about,  it  is 
likely  that  he  would  have  been  absolutely  obliged  to 
leave  Plainton  for  want  of  occupation.  But  the  idea 
of  commanding  a  steam-yacht  was  attraction  enough 
to  keep  him  where  he  could  continually  consider  it. 

He  assured  Mrs.  Cliff  that  it  was  not  at  all  neces 
sary  to  wait  until  pleasant  weather  before  undertaking 
this  great  enterprise.  As  soon  as  the  harbors  were 
reasonably  free  of  ice,  it  would  be  well  for  him  to  go 
and  look  at  yachts,  and  then,  when  he  found  one 
which  suited  him,  Mrs.  Cliff  could  go  and  look  at  it, 
and  if  it  suited  her,  it  could  be  immediately  put  into 

154 


MRS.  CLIFFS   YACHT 

commission.  They  could  steam  down  into  Southern 
waters,  and  cruise  about  there.  The  spring  up  here 
in  the  North  was  more  disagreeable  than  any  other 
season  of  the  year,  and  why  should  they  not  go  and 
spend  that  season  in  the  tranquil  and  beautiful  waters 
of  Florida  or  the  West  Indies? 

Mrs.  Cliff  had  now  fully  determined  to  become  the 
owner  of  a  yacht,  but  she  would  not  do  so  unless  she 
saw  her  way  clear  to  carry  out  the  benevolent  features 
of  the  plan  which  Mr.  Burke  had  suggested. 

"What  I  want,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "is  to  have  the 
whole  thing  understood !  I  am  perfectly  willing  to 
spend  some  of  the  pleasant  months  sailing  about  the 
coast,  and  feeling  that  I'm  giving  health  and  pleasure 
to  poor  and  deserving  people,  especially  children,  but 
I  am  not  willing  to  consider  myself  a  rich  woman  who 
keeps  an  expensive  yacht  just  for  the  pleasure  of 
cruising  around  when  she  feels  like  it !  But  I  do  like 
the  plan  of  giving  country  weeks  at  sea." 

"Very  good,  madam,"  he  said,  "and  we  can  fix  that 
thing  so  that  nobody  can  possibly  make  any  mistake 
about  it.  What  do  you  say  to  calling  your  yacht  the 
Summer  Shelter?  We'll  paint  the  name  in  white 
letters  on  the  bows  and  stern,  and  nobody  can  take  us 
for  idle  sea  loafers  with  more  money  than  we  know 
what  to  do  with  ! " 

"I  like  that ! "  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  her  face  brightening. 
"You  may  buy  me  a  yacht  as  soon  as  you  please,  and 
we'll  call  her  the  Summer  Shelter  !  " 

In  consequence  of  this  order,  Mr.  Burke  departed 
from  Plainton  the  next  day,  and  began  a  series  of  ex 
peditions  to  the  seaport  towns  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
in  search  of  a  steam-yacht  for  sale. 

155 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

The  winter  grew  colder,  and  the  weather  was  very 
bad.  There  were  heavy  snows  and  drifts,  and  many 
hardships.  There  were  cases  of  privations  and  suffer 
ing,  and  never  did  she  hear  of  one  of  these  cases  that 
a  thankful  glow  did  not  warm  the  heart  of  Mrs.  Cliff 
as  she  thought  that  she  was  able  to  relieve  it. 

But  Mrs.  Cliff  knew,  and  if  she  had  not  known  she 
would  have  soon  found  out,  that  it  was  often  very  diffi 
cult  to  relieve  distress  of  body  without  causing  distress 
of  mind.  However,  she  and  Willy  and  the  Misses 
Thorpdyke  had  known  all  phases  of  the  evil  which 
has  its  root  in  the  want  of  money,  and  they  always 
considered  people's  sensibilities  when  they  held 
charitable  councils.  There  was  one  case  in  which  Mrs. 
Cliff  felt  that  she  must  be  very  careful,  indeed. 

Old  Nancy  Shott  was  not  standing  the  winter  well. 
She  had  a  bad  cold,  and  was  confined  to  her  bed,  and 
one  day  Miss  Inchman  mentioned,  during  a  call  on 
Mrs.  Cliff,  that  she  did  not  believe  the  poor  old  thing 
was  able  to  keep  herself  warm.  She  had  been  to  see 
her,  and  the  coverings  on  her  bed  were  very  insuffi 
cient,  she  thought. 

The  Shotts  never  did  keep  a  warm  house,  nor  did 
they  care  to  spend  their  money  upon  warm  clothes ; 
but  although  that  sort  of  thing  might  do  very  well 
while  they  were  in  health  and  were  constantly  on  the 
move,  it  did  not  do  when  they  were  sick  in  bed. 
When  Miss  Inchman  had  gone,  Mrs.  Cliff  called 
Willy. 

"Where  are  we  using  those  California  blankets 
which  I  brought  home  with  me  ?  "  she  asked. 

"Using  them!"  exclaimed  Willy.  "We  aren't 
using  them  anywhere.  I'm  sure  nobody  would  think 

156 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

of  using  such  blankets  as  those,  except  when  some 
extra  company  might  happen  to  come.  It  ought  to  be 
a  long  time  before  those  blankets  would  have  to  go 
into  the  wash,  and  I've  kept  them  covered  up  on  the 
top  shelf  of  the  linen-closet ! " 

"Well,  I  wish  you  would  go  and  get  them,"  said 
Mrs.  Cliff,  "and  then  wrap  them  up  and  take  them 
to  Miss  Shott  as  a  present  from  me." 

"Take  them  to  Nancy  Shott!"  cried  Willy.  "I 
never  heard  of  such  a  thing  in  my  life  !  She's  able  to 
buy  blankets,— dozens  of  them,  if  she  wants  them,— 
and  to  take  to  her  such  blankets  as  the  ones  you 
brought  from  California— why,  it  takes  my  breath 
away  to  think  of  it ! " 

"But  you  must  take  them  to  her,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff. 
"She  may  be  stingy,  but  she  is  suffering,  and  I  want 
her  to  have  those  blankets  because  they  are  the  very 
best  that  I  could  possibly  send  her.  You  can  get 
Andrew  Marks  to  drive  you  there,  but  stop  two  or 
three  doors  from  the  house.  She  will  think  you  are 
putting  on  airs  if  you  drive  up  to  the  door.  And  I 
wish  you  would  give  her  the  blankets  just  as  if  it  was 
a  matter  of  course  that  anybody  would  send  things  to 
a  sick  person." 

"Oh,  yes  ! "  said  Willy,  "As  if  you  hadn't  a  pot  of 
jelly  to  spare,  and  so  sent  her  these  blankets  fit  for  an 
emperor  on  his  throne  ! " 

That  very  evening  the  reluctant  Willy  took  the 
blankets  to  Miss  Shott,  for  Mrs.  Cliff  knew  it  was 
going  to  be  a  very  cold  night,  and  she  wanted  her  to 
have  them  as  soon  as  possible. 

When  Nancy  Shott  beheld  the  heavy  and  beautiful 
fabrics  of  fine  wool  which  Willy  spread  out  upon  her 

157 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

bed  in  order  that  she  might  better  examine  them,  the 
eyes  of  the  poor  old  woman  flashed  with  admiring 
delight. 

"Well,"  said  she,  "Sarah  Cliff  has  got  a  memory  ! " 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Willy. 

"Why,  she  remembers,"  said  Miss  Shott,  "that  I 
once  joined  in  to  give  her  a  pair  of  blankets  ! " 

"Good  gracious  ! "  exclaimed  Willy,  and  she  was  on 
the  point  of  speaking  her  mind  in  regard  to  the  salient 
points  in  the  two  transactions,  but  she  refrained.  The 
poor  old  thing  was  sick,  and  she  must  not  say  anything 
to  excite  her. 

"I  suppose,"  said  Miss  Shott,  after  lifting  a  corner  of 
a  blanket  and  rubbing  and  pinching  it,  "that  these 
are  all  wool ! " 

Then  Willy  thought  herself  privileged  to  speak, 
and  for  some  minutes  she  dilated  on  the  merits  of  those 
superb  blankets,  the  like  of  which  were  not  to  be 
found  in  the  whole  State,  and,  perhaps,  not  in  any 
State  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

"Well,"  said  Miss  Shott,  "you  may  tell  her  that  I 
will  not  throw  her  present  back  at  her,  as  she  once 
threw  one  back  at  me !  And  now  that  you're  here, 
Willy  Croup,  I  may  as  well  say  to  you  what  I've  in 
tended  to  say  to  you  the  next  time  I  saw  you.  And 
that  is  that  when  I  was  at  your  house  you  told  me  an 
out-and-out  falsehood,— I  won't  use  any  stronger  word 
than  that,— and  how  you  could  sleep  after  having 
done  it  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  ! " 

"Falsehood  ! "  cried  Willy.    "What  do  you  mean?  " 

"You  told  me,"  said  Nancy,  "that  Mrs.  Cliff  wasn't 
goin'  to  take  boarders— and  now  look  at  those 
Thorpdykes!  Not  two  days  after  you  tried  to  de- 

158 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

ceive  me,  they  went  there  to  board !    And  now,  what 
have  you  got  to  say  to  that  t " 

Willy  had  not  a  word  to  say.  She  sprang  to  her 
feet,  she  glared  at  the  triumphant  woman  in  the  bed, 
and,  turning,  went  down-stairs. 


159 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  DAWN  OF  THE  GROVE  OF  THE  INCAS 

A  MAN  may  have  command  of  all  the  money  necessary, 
and  he  may  have  plenty  of  knowledge  and  experience 
in  regard  to  the  various  qualities  of  sea-going  vessels, 
but  even  with  these  great  advantages  he  may  find  it 
a  very  difficult  thing  to  buy,  ready  to  his  hand,  a 
suitable  steam-yacht.  The  truth  of  this  statement  was 
acknowledged  by  Mr.  Burke  after  he  had  spent  nearly 
a  month  in  Boston,  New  York,  and  various  points 
between  these  cities,  and,  after  advertising,  inquiring, 
and  investigating  the  subject  in  all  possible  ways, 
found  nothing  which  he  could  recommend  Mrs.  Cliff 
to  purchase. 

He  wrote  to  her  a  great  many  letters  during  this 
period,  all  of  which  were  interesting,  although  there 
were  portions  of  many  of  them  which  she  did  not 
quite  understand,  being  expressed  in  a  somewhat 
technical  fashion.  Burke  liked  to  write  letters.  It 
was  a  novel  experience  for  him  to  have  time  to  write 
and  something  to  write  about.  He  had  been  better 
educated  than  the  ordinary  sailor,  and  his  intelligence 
and  habits  of  observation  enabled  him  to  supplement 
to  a  considerable  extent  what  he  had  learned  at 

160 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

school.  His  spelling  and  grammar  were  sometimes 
at  fault,  but  his  handwriting  was  extremely  plain  and 
distinct,  and  Willy  Croup,  who  always  read  his  letters, 
declared  that  it  was  much  better  to  write  plainly  than 
to  be  always  correct  in  other  respects,  for  what  was 
the  good  of  proper  spelling  and  grammar,  if  people 
could  not  make  out  what  was  written  ? 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  not  at  all  disturbed  by  the  delay  in 
the  purchase  of  a  yacht,  for,  according  to  her  idea,  it 
would  be  a  long  time  yet  before  it  was  pleasant  to 
sail  upon  the  sea,  and  if  it  was  interesting  to  Mr. 
Burke  to  go  from  place  to  place,  and  have  interviews 
with  ship-owners  and  seafaring  people,  she  was  glad 
that  she  was  able  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  do  so. 

As  for  herself,  she  was  in  a  pleasant  state  of  feminine 
satisfaction.  "Without  any  sort  of  presumption  or 
even  effort  on  her  part,  she  had  attained  a  high  and 
unquestioned  position  among  her  fellow-citizens,  and 
her  mind  was  not  set  upon  maintaining  that  position 
by  worthy  and  unoffensive  methods  of  using  her 
riches. 

She  now  had  a  definite  purpose  in  life.  If  she 
could  make  herself  happy  and  a  great  many  other 
people  happy,  and  only  a  few  people  envious  or 
jealous,  and,  at  the  same  time,  feel  that  she  was  living 
and  doing  things  as  a  person  of  good  common  sense 
and  great  wealth  ought  to  live  and  do  things,  what 
more  could  be  expected  of  her  in  this  life  ? 

Thus  backed  up  by  her  conscience  and  her  check 
book,  she  sat,  morning  after  morning,  before  a  cheerful 
fire  of  hickory  logs  and  outlined  her  career.  This  was 
in  the  parlor  of  her  old  house,  which  she  now  deter 
mined  to  use  as  an  office  or  business-room.  She  could 

161 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

afford  the  warmest  fire  of  the  best-seasoned  wood,  her 
chimney  was  in  perfect  order,  and  she  was  but  fifty-five 
years  old  and  in  excellent  health.  "Why  should  she 
not  enjoy  the  exhilarating  blaze,  and  plan  for  years  of 
exhilarating  occupation  ? 

Soon  after  Mr.  Burke  left  Plainton  Mrs.  Cliff  began 
work  upon  the  new  park.  This  she  could  do  without 
his  assistance,  and  it  was  work  the  mere  contempla 
tion  of  which  delighted  her.  She  had  legal  assistance 
in  regard  to  the  purchase  of  the  grounds  and  build 
ings  of  the  opposite  block,  and  while  this  was  in  the 
hands  of  her  lawyers,  she  was  in  daily  consultation 
with  an  eminent  landscape-constructor  who  had  come 
to  Plainton  for  the  purpose.  He  lodged  at  the  hotel, 
and  drew  most  beautiful  plans  of  the  proposed  park. 

In  the  happy  morning  hours  during  which  Mrs. 
Cliff's  mind  wandered  over  the  beautiful  drives,  or 
stood  upon  the  rustic  bridges  which  crossed  the  stream 
dashing  among  its  rocks  and  spreading  itself  out  into 
placid  pools,  or  when,  mentally,  she  sat  in  the  shade 
of  the  great  trees  and  looked  out  upon  the  wide 
stretches  of  verdant  lawn,  relieved  by  the  brilliant 
colors  of  the  flower-beds,  she  often  felt  it  was  almost 
the  same  thing  as  if  it  were  actually  summer,  and 
that  she  really  saw  the  beautiful  grass  and  flowers, 
heard  the  babbling  of  the  stream,  and  felt  the  refresh 
ing  breezes  which  rustled  the  great  limbs  of  the  trees. 

She  did  not  selfishly  keep  these  pleasures  to  herself, 
but  often,  on  the  stormy  evenings,  she  and  Willy  and 
the  Misses  Thorpdyke  would  go  over  the  brilliantly 
colored  plans  of  the  Incas'  Grove,  admire  what  had 
been  proposed,  and  suggest  things  which  they  thought 
would  be  desirable.  Miss  Thorpdyke,  who  had  a  vivid 

162 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 

recollection  of  the  Gardens  of  the  Luxembourg,  spoke 
of  many  of  their  beautiful  and  classic  features  which 
she  would  recommend  for  the  new  park  if  it  were  not 
that  they  would  cost  so  much  money.  All  these  were 
noted  down  with  great  care  by  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  men 
tioned  to  the  landscape-constructor  the  next  day. 

Thus  at  home,  in  church  circles,  in  the  society  of 
the  town,  and  in  the  mental  contemplation  of  the 
charming  landscape  which,  in  consequence  of  her  own 
will  and  command,  would  soon  spread  itself  out  before 
her  windows,  Mrs.  Cliff  was  very  happy.  But  among 
all  her  sources  of  enjoyment  there  was  nothing,  per 
haps,  which  pleased  her  better  than  to  think,  on  a  cold 
winter's  night,  when  the  piercing  winds  were  roaring 
about  the  house,  that  poor  old  Nancy  Shott  was  lying 
warm  and  comfortable  under  two  of  the  finest  blan 
kets  which  ever  came  from  Californian  looms. 

The  great  object  of  Willy  Croup's  thoughts  at  this 
time  was  not  the  park,— for  she  could  not  properly 
appreciate  trees  and  grass  in  this  shivery  weather,— 
but  the  entertainment,  the  grand  lunch  or  the  very 
high  tea,  which  was  to  be  given  to  Mrs.  Buskirk  and  her 
daughters  on  the  hill.  This  important  event  had  been 
postponed  because  the  sleighing  had  become  rather 
bad  and  the  Buskirks  had  gone  to  the  city. 

But  as  soon  as  they  returned,  "Willy  hoped  with  all 
her  heart  that  Mrs.  Cliff  would  be  able  to  show  them 
what  might  be  done  in  the  line  of  hospitable  entertain 
ment  by  people  who  had  not  only  money  but  some 
thing  more.  There  had  been  a  time  when  Willy 
thought  that  when  people  wished  to  entertain  there 
was  nothing  needed  but  money,  but  then  she  had 
not  lived  in  the  house  with  the  Misses  Thorpdyke, 

163 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

and  had  not  heard  them  and  Mrs.  Cliff  discuss  such 
matters. 

The  peace  of  mind  of  Mrs.  Cliff  was  disturbed  one 
day  by  the  receipt  of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Burke,  who 
wrote  from  New  York  and  informed  her  that  he  had 
found  a  yacht  which  he  believed  would  suit  her,  and 
he  wished  very  much  that  she  would  come  and  look 
at  it  before  he  completed  the  purchase. 

Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  wish  to  go  to  New  York  and  look 
at  yachts.  She  had  then  under  consideration  the  plan 
of  a  semicircular  marble  terrace  which  was  to  overlook 
one  end  of  a  shaded  lakelet,  which  Mr.  Humphreys, 
her  professional  adviser,  assured  her  she  could  have 
just  as  well  as  not,  by  means  of  a  dam,  and  she  did 
not  wish  to  interrupt  this  most  interesting  occupation. 
Mr.  Humphreys  had  procured  photographs  of  some  of 
the  romantic  spots  of  the  Luxembourg,  and  Mrs.  Cliff 
felt  within  herself  the  gladdening  impulses  of  a  good 
magician  as  she  planned  the  imitation  of  all  this 
classic  beauty. 

Besides,  it  was  the  middle  of  March,  and  cold,  and 
not  at  all  the  season  in  which  she  would  be  able  to 
appreciate  properly  the  merits  of  a  yacht.  Still,  as 
Mr.  Burke  had  found  the  vessel,  and  wanted  her  to  see 
it,  and  as  there  was  a  possibility,  he  had  written,  that 
delay  might  cause  her  to  lose  the  opportunity  of  get 
ting  what  she  wanted,  and  as  she  was  very  desirous  of 
pleasing  him,  she  decided  that  she  and  Willy  would 
go  to  New  York  and  look  at  the  vessel. 

It  would  not  take  long,  because,  of  course,  Mr. 
Burke  had  already  found  out  everything  that  was 
necessary  in  regard  to  its  sea-going  qualities,  and  a 
great  many  other  things  of  which  she  would  not  be  a 

164 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

judge.  In  fact,  it  was  not  necessary  for  her  to  go  at 
all,  but  as  she  was  to  pay  for  it,  Mr.  Burke  would  be 
better  satisfied  if  she  saw  it  before  doing  so. 

It  was  very  pleasant  to  think  that  she  could  go 
away  whenever  she  pleased,  and  leave  her  house  in  the 
care  of  two  such  ladies  as  Miss  Eleanor  Thorpdyke 
and  her  sister. 


165 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  "SUMMER  SHELTER" 

WHEN  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy,  as  well  wrapped  up  in 
handsome  furs  as  Mr.  Burke  himself,  who  accompanied 
them,  left  their  New  York  hotel  to  drive  over  to 
Brooklyn  and  examine  the  yacht  which  had  been 
selected,  Willy's  mind  vainly  endeavored  to  form 
within  itself  an  image  of  the  object  of  the  expedition. 

She  was  so  thoroughly  an  inland  woman,  and  had  so 
little  knowledge  of  matters  connected  with  the  sea, 
that  when  she  first  heard  the  mention  of  the  yacht,  it 
had  brought  into  her  mind  the  idea  of  an  Asiatic 
animal  with  long  hair,  and  used  as  a  beast  of  burden, 
which  she  had  read  about  in  her  school-books.  But 
when  she  had  discovered  that  the  object  in  question 
was  a  vessel,  and  not  a  bovine  ruminant,  her  mind 
carried  her  no  farther  than  to  a  pleasure  boat  with  a 
sail  to  it. 

Even  Mrs.  Cliff,  who  had  travelled,  had  inadequate 
ideas  concerning  a  steam-yacht.  She  had  seen  the 
small  steamers  which  ran  upon  the  Seine,  and  she  had 
taken  little  trips  upon  them,  and  if  she  had  given  the 
subject  careful  consideration  she  might  have  thought 
that  the  yacht  intended  for  the  use  of  a  private  indi 
vidual  would  be  somewhat  smaller  than  one  of  these. 

166 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

It  would  be  difficult,  therefore,  to  imagine  the  sur 
prise  and  even  amazement  of  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy 
Croup  when  they  beheld  the  vessel  to  which  Mr. 
Burke  conducted  them.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  sea-going 
steamer  of  small  comparative  size,  it  is  true,  but  of 
towering  proportions  when  compared  with  the  ideals 
in  the  minds  of  the  two  female  citizens  of  Plainton  who 
had  come,  the  one  to  view  it  and  the  other  to  buy  it. 

"Before  we  go  on  board,"  said  Mr.  Burke,  as  he 
proudly  stood  upon  the  pier,  holding  fast  to  his  silk 
hat  in  the  cold  breeze  which  swept  along  the  water 
front,  "I  want  you  to  take  a  general  look  at  her.  I 
don't  suppose  you  know  anything  about  her  lines  and 
build,  but  I  can  tell  you  they're  all  right !  But  you 
can  see  for  yourselves  that  she's  likely  to  be  a  fine, 
solid,  comfortable  craft,  and  won't  go  pitchin'  and 
tossin'  around  like  the  crafts  that  some  people  go  to 
sea  in ! " 

"Why,  the  name  is  on  it ! "  cried  Willy.  "Summer 
Shelter  !  How  did  you  happen  to  find  one  with  that 
name,  Mr.  Burke  ?  " 

"Oh,  I  didn't,"  said  he.  "She  had  another  name, 
but  I  wanted  you  to  see  her  just  as  she'd  look  if  she 
really  belonged  to  you,  so  I  had  the  other  name 
painted  out  and  this  put  on  in  good,  big  white  letters 
that  can  be  seen  for  a  long  distance.  If  you  don't  buy 
her,  Mrs.  Cliff,  of  course  I'll  have  the  old  name  put 
back  again.  Now,  what  do  you  think  of  her,  Mrs. 
Cliff,  lookin'  at  her  from  this  point  of  view  f  " 

The  good  lady  stood  silent.  She  gazed  at  the  long, 
high  hull  of  the  steamer,  she  looked  up  at  the  black 
smoke-stack,  and  at  the  masts  which  ran  up  so  shapely 
and  so  far,  and  her  soul  rose  higher  than  it  had  been 

167 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

uplifted  even  by  the  visions  of  the  future  Grove  of 
the  Incas. 

"I  think  it  is  absolutely  splendid ! "  said  she.  "Let 
us  go  in ! " 

"On  board,  madam/'  said  Burke,  gently  correcting 
her.  "This  way  to  the  gang-plank  ! " 

For  nearly  two  hours  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  wandered 
over  the  upper  and  lower  decks  of  the  yacht,  ex 
amined  its  pretty  little  state-rooms,  sat  excitedly 
upon  the  sofas  of  its  handsomely  decorated  saloon, 
examined  the  folding  tables  and  all  the  other  wonder 
ful  things  which  shut  themselves  up  out  of  the  way 
when  they  were  not  needed,  tapped  the  keys  of  the 
piano,  investigated  the  store-rooms,  lockers,  and  all 
the  marine  domestic  conveniences,  and  forgot  it  was 
winter,  forgot  that  the  keen  wind  nearly  blew  their 
bonnets  off  as  they  walked  the  upper  deck,  and  felt 
what  a  grand  thing  it  would  be  to  sail  upon  the  sea 
upon  such  a  noble  vessel. 

To  all  this  there  was  added,  in  Mrs.  Cliff's  mind,  the 
proud  feeling  that  it  would  be  her  own,  and  in  it  she 
could  go  wherever  she  pleased,  and  come  back  again 
when  it  suited  her. 

Willy,  who  had  never  been  to  sea,  was  perfectly 
free  to  form  an  idea  of  an  ocean  voyage  as  delightful 
and  charming  as  she  pleased,  and  this  she  did  with 
great  enthusiasm.  Even  had  it  been  necessary  that 
this  perfectly  lovely  vessel  should  remain  moored  at 
the  pier,  it  would  have  given  joy  to  her  soul  to  live 
in  it,  to  sleep  in  one  of  those  sweet  little  rooms,  and  to 
eat  and  read  and  sew  in  that  beautiful  saloon. 

"Mr.  Burke,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "I  don't  believe  you 
168 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

could  find  any  vessel  better  suited  to  our  purpose  than 
this  one,  and  I  wish  you  would  buy  it ! " 

"Madam,"  said  Burke,  "I'll  do  it  immediately! 
And  I  tell  you,  madam,  that  this  is  a  wonderful 
chance  for  this  time  of  the  year,  when  yachts  and 
pleasure  crafts  in  this  part  of  the  world  are  generally 
laid  up  and  can't  be  seen  properly,  and,  what's  more, 
would  have  to  be  docked  and  overhauled  generally 
before  they  would  be  ready  for  sea.  But  here  is  a 
yacht  that's  been  cruising  down  South  and  in  the 
"West  Indies,  and  has  just  come  up  here,  and  is  all 
ready  to  go  to  sea  again  whenever  you  like  it.  If  you 
don't  mind  going  home  by  yourselves,  I'll  go  to  the 
office  of  the  agent  of  the  owner,  and  settle  the  busi 
ness  at  once ! " 

It  would  have  been  impossible  for  any  purchase  or 
any  possession  of  palace,  pyramid,  or  principality  to 
make  prouder  the  heart  of  Mrs.  Cliff  than  did  the 
consciousness  that  she  was  the  owner  of  a  fine  sea- 
vessel  worked  by  steam.  She  acknowledged  to  her 
self  that  if  she  had  been  at  home  she  could  not  have 
prevented  herself  from  putting  on  those  airs  which 
she  had  been  so  anxious  to  avoid.  But  these  would 
wear  off  very  soon,  she  knew,  and  so  long  as  there  was 
no  one,  except  Willy,  to  notice  a  possible  change  of 
manner,  it  did  not  matter. 

Now  that  Mrs.  Cliff  and  "Willy  were  in  New  York, 
they  agreed  that  it  would  be  well  for  them  to 
attend  to  some  shopping  for  which  they  had  intended 
coming  to  the  city  later  in  the  spring.  It  had  been 
found  that  there  were  many  things  wanted  to  sup 
plement  the  furnishing  of  the  new  house,  and  to  the 

169 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

purchase  of  these  the  two  ladies  now  devoted  their 
mornings. 

But  every  afternoon,  in  company  with  Mr.  Burke, 
they  went  on  board  the  Summer  Shelter  to  see  what  he 
had  been  doing,  and  to  consult  with  him  about  what 
he  was  going  to  do.  It  was  astonishing  how  many 
little  things  were  needed  to  be  done  to  a  yacht  just 
returned  from  a  cruise,  and  how  interesting  all  these 
things  were  to  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy,  considering  that 
they  knew  so  little  about  them. 

The  engineer  and  fireman  had  not  been  discharged, 
but  were  acting  as  watchmen,  and  Burke  strongly 
recommended  that  they  should  be  engaged  immedi 
ately,  because,  as  he  said,  if  Mrs.  Cliff  were  to  let 
them  go,  it  would  be  difficult  to  get  such  men  again. 
"It  is  a  little  expensive,  to  be  sure,  but  when  a  yacht 
is  not  laid  up,"  he  said,  "there  should  always  be  men 
aboard  of  her."  And  so  the  painting,  and  the  clean 
ing,  and  the  necessary  fitting  up  went  on,  and  Mr. 
Burke  was  very  happy,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  was  very  proud, 
although  the  external  manifestation  of  this  feeling 
was  gradually  wearing  off. 

"I  don't  want  to  give  advice,  madam,"  said  Burke, 
one  evening,  as  the  little  party  sat  together  discuss 
ing  nautical  matters,  "but  if  I  was  in  your  place,  I 
wouldn't  go  back  to  Plainton  before  I  had  taken  a 
little  trial-trip  on  the  yacht.  It  doesn't  matter  a  bit 
about  the  weather !  After  we  get  out  to  sea,  it  will 
be  only  a  few  days  before  we  find  we're  in  real  spring 
weather  and  the  warm  water  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  We 
can  touch  at  Savannah,  and  cruise  along  the  Florida 
coast,  and  then  go  over  to  the  Bahamas,  and  look 
around  as  long  as  we  feel  like.  And  when  we  get 

170 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

back  here  it  will  be  beginning  to  be  milder,  and  then 
you  can  go  home  and  arrange  for  the  voyages  you're 
goin'  to  make  in  her  during  the  summer." 

Mrs.  Cliff  considered.  This  was  a  tempting  proposi 
tion.  And  while  she  considered,  Willy  sat  and  looked 
at  her  with  glowing  cheeks  and  half-open  mouth.  It 
would  not  have  required  one  second  for  her  to  decide 
such  a  question. 

"You  know/7  said  Mr.  Burke,  "it  wouldn't  take  me 
long  to  get  her  ready  for  sea.  I  could  soon  coal  her 
and  put  her  stores  aboard,  and  as  to  a  crew,  I  can  get 
one  in  no  time.  We  could  leave  port  in  a  week  just 
as  well  as  not ! " 

"Let's  go ! "  said  Willy,  seizing  the  hand  of  her 
friend.  "It  need  only  be  a  little  trip,  just  to  see  how 
it  would  all  feel." 

Mrs.  Cliff  smiled.  "Very  good,"  said  she,  "we'll 
take  a  little  trial- trip  just  as  soon  as  you  are  ready, 
Captain  Burke !— that  is,  if  you  have  not  made  any 
plans  which  will  prevent  you  from  accepting  the  posi 
tion." 

"Madam,"  said  Burke,  springing  to  his  feet  and 
standing  proudly  before  Mrs.  Cliff,  "I'd  throw  up  the 
command  of  the  finest  liner  on  the  Atlantic  to  be  cap 
tain  of  the  Summer  Shelter  for  this  summer  !  I  see  far 
more  fun  ahead  in  the  cruises  that  you're  going  to 
make  than  in  any  voyage  I've  looked  forward  to  yet, 
and  when  people  have  a  chance  to  mix  fun  and  charity 
as  we're  goin'  to  mix  them,  I  say  such  people  ought  to 
call  themselves  lucky !  This  is  Wednesday.  Well, 
now,  madam,  by  next  Wednesday  the  Summer  Shelter 
will  be  all  fitted  out  for  the  cruise,  and  she'll  be  ready 
to  sail  out  of  the  harbor  at  whatever  hour  you 

171 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

name,  for  the  tide  won't  make  any  difference  to 
her ! " 

"There  is  only  one  thing  I  don't  like  about  the  ar 
rangement,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  when  the  captain  had  left 
them,  "and  that  is  that  we  will  have  to  take  this  trip 
by  ourselves.  It  seems  a  pity  for  three  people  to  go 
sailing  around  in  a  big  vessel  like  that,  with  most  of 
the  state-rooms  empty.  But,  of  course,  people  are  not 
prepared  yet  for  country  weeks  at  sea !  And  it  will 
take  some  time  to  make  my  plans  known  in  the  proper 
quarters." 

"I  don't  suppose,"  said  Willy,  "that  there's  any 
body  in  Plainton  that  we  could  send  for  on  short 
notice.  People  there  want  so  much  time  to  get  ready 
to  do  anything ! " 

"But  there  is  nobody  in  the  town  that  I  would  care 
to  take  on  a  first  voyage,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff.  "You 
know,  something  might  go  wrong,  and  we  would  have 
to  come  back,  and  if  it  is  found  necessary  to  do  that, 
I  don't  want  any  Plainton  people  on  board ! " 

"No,  indeed ! "  exclaimed  Willy,  her  mind  involun 
tarily  running  toward  Nancy  Shott,  to  whom  a  voyage 
to  the  West  Indies  would  doubtless  be  of  great  ser 
vice.  "Don't  let's  bother  about  anything  of  that 
kind.  Let's  make  the  first  trip  by  ourselves.  I 
think  that  will  be  glorious ! " 


172 


CHAPTEE  XX 

THE    SYNOD 

As  most  of  Mrs.  ClifPs  business  in  New  York  was  now 
finished,  and  as  she  and  Willy  were  waiting  there  only 
for  the  yacht  to  be  made  ready  for  sea,  she  had  a  good 
deal  of  time  on  her  hands. 

On  the  Saturday  following  her  decision  to  make  a 
trial-trip  on  the  Summer  Shelter,  when  returning  from 
the  daily  visit  to  the  yacht,  Mrs.  Cliff  stopped  in  at  a 
Brooklyn  church  in  which  a  Synod  was  at  that  time 
convened.  She  had  read  of  the  proceedings  of  this 
body  in  the  papers,  and  as  the  deliberations  con 
cerned  her  own  denomination,  she  thought  she  would 
be  interested  in  them.  Willy,  however,  preferred  to 
go  on  by  herself  to  New  York,  as  she  had  something 
to  do  there  which  she  thought  would  be  more  to  her 
taste  than  the  proceedings  of  a  Synod. 

It  was  not  long  after  she  had  been  seated  in  the 
church  that  Mrs.  Cliff  began  to  regret  that  she  had 
not  attended  some  of  the  earlier  meetings,  for  the 
questions  debated  were  those  in  which  she  took  an 
interest. 

After  a  time  she  saw  near  her  Mrs.  Arkwright,  a 
lady  who  had  visited  Mrs.  Perley  some  years  before, 
and  with  whom  she  had  then  become  acquainted. 

173 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Joining  her,  Mrs.  Cliff  found  Mrs.  Arkwright  able  to 
give  her  a  great  deal  of  information  in  regard  to  the 
members  of  the  Synod,  and  as  the  two  sat  and  talked 
together  in  whispers,  a  desire  arose  in  the  mind  of 
Mrs.  Cliff  that  she  and  her  wealth  might  in  some  way 
join  in  the  work  in  which  all  these  people  were  en 
gaged.  As  her  mind  rested  upon  this  subject,  there 
came  into  it  a  plan  which  pleased  her.  Here  were  all 
these  delegates,  many  of  them  looking  tired  and  pale, 
as  if  they  had  been  hard  worked  during  the  winter, 
and  here  was  she,  the  mistress  of  the  Summer  Shelter, 
about  to  take  a  trip  to  warm  and  sunny  regions  in 
an  almost  empty  vessel. 

As  soon  as  the  meeting  adjourned,  Mrs.  Cliff,  accom 
panied  by  Mrs.  Arkwright,  made  her  way  to  the  front, 
where  many  of  the  members  were  standing  together, 
and  was  introduced  by  her  friend  to  several  clergymen 
with  whom  Mrs.  Arkwright  was  acquainted.  As  soon 
as  possible,  Mrs.  Cliff  referred  to  the  subject  which  was 
upon  her  mind,  and  informed  the  gentlemen  with 
whom  she  had  just  been  made  acquainted  that,  if  they 
thought  well  of  it,  she  would  like  to  invite  a  party  of 
such  of  the  delegates  who  would  care  for  such  an  ex 
cursion  at  this  season  to  accompany  her  on  a  short 
trip  to  the  West  Indies.  Her  vessel  would  easily  ac 
commodate  twelve  or  fifteen  of  the  gentlemen,  and 
she  would  prefer  to  offer  her  invitation  first  to  the 
clerical  members  of  the  Synod. 

The  reverend  gentlemen  to  whom  this  offer  was 
made  were  a  little  surprised  by  it,  but  they  could  not 
help  considering  it  a  most  generous  and  attractive 
proposition,  and  one  of  them  undertook  to  convey  the 
invitation  to  some  of  his  brethren  of  the  Synod. 

174 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

Although  the  Synod  had  adjourned,  many  of  the 
delegates  remained  for  a  considerable  time,  during 
which  Mrs.  Cliff's  invitation  was  discussed  with  lively 
appreciation,  some  of  the  speakers  informing  her  that, 
if  they  could  make  the  arrangements  necessary  for 
their  pulpits  and  their  families  during  a  short  absence, 
they  would  be  delighted  to  accept  her  invitation. 
The  Synod  would  finally  adjourn  on  the  next  Tues 
day,  and  she  was  promised  that  before  that  time  she 
would  be  informed  of  the  exact  number  of  guests  she 
might  expect. 

The  next  day,  when  Mr.  Burke  appeared  to  ac 
company  the  ladies  to  the  yacht,  he  found  Willy 
Croup  alone  in  their  parlor. 

"Do  you  know  what's  happened?"  cried  Willy, 
springing  toward  him  as  he  entered.  "Of  course  you 
don't,  for  Mrs.  Cliff  is  going  to  give  the  first  country 
week  on  the  Summer  Shelter  to  a  Synod  ! " 

"To  a  what?"  cried  Burke. 

"A  Synod,"  explained  Willy.  "It's  a  congregation, 
I  mean  a  meeting,  mostly  of  ministers,  come  together 
to  settle  church  matters.  She  invited  the  whole  lot 
of  them,  but,  of  course,  they  all  can't  come,— for  there 
are  more  than  a  hundred  of  them,— but  there  will  be 
about  a  dozen  who  can  sail  with  us  next  Wednes 
day!" 

Mr.  Burke's  jaw  dropped.  "A  dozen  ministers  ! " 
he  exclaimed.  "Sail  with  us  !  By  George  !  Miss 
Croup,  will  you  excuse  me  if  I  sit  down?  " 

"You  know,"  said  Willy,  "that  the  Summer  Shelter 
was  bought  for  this  sort  of  thing— that  is,  to  do  good 
to  people  who  can't  get  that  sort  of  good  in  other 
ways  !  And  if  Mrs.  Cliff  takes  out  poor  children  from 

175 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

the  slums,  and  hard-working  shop-girls  and  seam 
stresses,  why  shouldn't  she  take  hard-working  minis 
ters  and  give  them  some  fresh  air  and  pleasure  f " 

"A  dozen  ministers  1 "  groaned  Mr.  Burke.  "I  tell 
you,  Miss  Croup,  I  can't  take  them  in  1 " 

"Oh,  there'll  be  room  enough!"  said  Willy,  mis 
taking  his  meaning,  "for  Mrs.  Cliff  says  that  each  of 
those  little  rooms  will  easily  hold  two." 

"Oh,  it  isn't  that ! "  said  Burke,  his  eyes  fixed  stead 
fastly  upon  a  chair  near  him,  as  if  it  had  been  some 
thing  to  look  at.  "But  twelve  ministers  coming 
down  on  me  so  sudden  rather  takes  me  aback,  Miss 
Croup ! " 

"I  don't  wonder,"  said  Willy,  "for  I  don't  believe 
that  a  Synod  ever  went  out  yachting  before  in  a 
bunch ! " 

Mr.  Burke  rose  and  looked  out  of  the  window. 
"Miss  Croup,"  said  he,  "do  you  remember  what  I 
said  about  mixin'  fun  and  charity  in  these  cruises? 
Well,  I  guess  we'll  have  to  take  our  charity  straight 
this  time ! " 

But  when  Mrs.  Cliff  had  come  in,  and  had  talked 
with  animation  and  enthusiasm  in  regard  to  her  plan, 
the  effects  of  the  shock  which  Mr.  Burke  had  received 
began  to  wear  off. 

"All  right,  madam ! "  said  he.  "You're  owner,  and 
I'm  captain,  and  I'll  stand  by  you !  And  if  you  take 
it  into  your  head  to  ship  a  dozen  popes  on  the  Summer 
Shelter,  I'll  take  them  where  you  want  them  to  go  to, 
anl  I'll  bring  them  back  safe.  I  suppose  we'll  have 
all  sorts  of  customers  on  the  yacht  this  season,  and  if 
we've  got  to  get  used  to  queer  passengers,  a  Synod 
will  do  very  well  to  begin  with  !  If  you'll  find  out 

176 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

who's  goin',  and  will  write  to  them  to  be  on  hand 
Tuesday  night,  I'll  see  that  they're  taken  care  of." 

Mrs.  Cliff's  whole  heart  was  now  in  the  projected 
cruise  of  the  Summer  Shelter.  When  she  had  thought 
of  it  with  only  Willy  and  herself  as  passengers,  she 
could  not  help  considering  it  was  a  great  extrava 
gance.  Now  she  was  going  to  begin  her  series  of  sea 
trips  in  a  fashion  far  superior  and  more  dignified  than 
anything  yet  thought  of.  To  be  able  to  give  such  an 
invitation  to  a  Synod  was  something  of  which  she 
might  well  be  proud,  and  she  was  proud. 


177 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A  TELEGRAM  FROM  CAPTAIN  HORN 

IT  was  early  Tuesday  morning,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  and 
Willy,  having  just  finished  their  breakfast,  were  busily 
engaged  in  packing  the  two  trunks  they  proposed 
taking  with  them,  and  the  elder  lady  was  stating  that 
although  she  was  perfectly  willing  to  dress  in  the  blue 
flannel  suit  which  had  been  ordered,  she  was  not 
willing  to  wear  a  white  cap,  although  "Willy  urged 
that  this  was  the  proper  thing,  as  they  had  been  told 
by  the  people  where  they  had  bought  their  yachting 
suits,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  was  still  insisting  that  although 
it  would  do  very  well  for  Willy  to  wear  a  white  cap, 
she  would  wear  a  hood,— the  same  kind  of  a  hood 
which  she  had  worn  on  all  her  other  voyages,  which 
was  more  like  a  bonnet,  and  more  suitable  to  her  on 
that  account  than  any  other  kind  of  head-covering, — 
when  Mr.  Burke  burst,— actually  burst,— without 
knocking,  into  the  room.  His  silk  hat  was  on  the 
back  of  his  head,  and  he  wore  no  overcoat. 

"Mrs.  Cliff,"  he  exclaimed,  "I've  just  seen  Shirley  ! 
You  remember  Shirley?  " 

"Indeed,  I  do,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff.  "I  remember  him 
very  well,  and  I  always  thought  him  to  be  a  remark- 

178 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

ably  nice  man  !  But  where  did  you  see  him,  and  what 
in  the  world  did  he  tell  you  to  throw  you  into  such 
a  flurry  ?  " 

"He  said  a  lot  to  me  ! "  replied  Burke.  "And  I'll 
try  to  make  as  straight  a  tale  of  it  as  I  can !  You 
see,  about  a  week  ago  Shirley  got  a  telegraphic  mes 
sage  from  Captain  Horn—" 

"Captain  Horn!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Where 
is  he,  and  what  did  he  say  ?  " 

"He's  in  Mexico,"  said  Burke,  "and  the  telegram 
was  as  long  as  a  letter,— that's  one  advantage  in  not 
being  obliged  to  think  of  what  things  cost,— and  he 
told  Shirley  a  lot—" 

"How  did  he  say  they  were?"  asked  Mrs.  Cliff, 
eagerly.  "Or  did  he  say  anything  about  Mrs.  Horn? 
Are  they  well  ?  " 

"Oh,  I  expect  they're  all  right,"  said  Burke,  "but 
I  don't  think  he  treated  that  subject.  It  was  all 
about  that  gold,  and  the  part  of  it  that  was  to  go  to 
Peru ! 

"When  the  business  of  dividing  up  the  treasure  was 
settled  in  London  in  the  way  we  know  all  about,  word 
was  sent  to  the  Peruvian  government  to  tell  them 
what  had  happened,  and  to  see  what  they  said  about 
it.  And  when  they  heard  the  news,  they  were  a 
good  deal  more  than  satisfied,— as  they  ought  to  have 
been,  I'm  sure,— and  they  made  no  bones  about  the 
share  we  took.  All  they  wanted  was  to  have  their 
part  sent  to  them  just  as  soon  as  could  be,  and  I  don't 
wonder  at  it,  for  all  those  South  American  countries 
are  as  poor  as  beggars,  and  if  any  one  of  them  got  a 
sum  of  money  like  that,  it  could  buy  up  all  the  others, 
if  it  felt  like  spending  the  money  in  that  way  ! 

179 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

"Those  Peruvians  were  in  such  a  hurry  to  get  the 
treasure  that  they  wouldn't  agree  to  have  the  gold 
coined  into  money,  or  to  be  sent  a  part  at  a  time,  or 
to  take  drafts  for  it,  but  they  wanted  it  just  as  it  was, 
as  soon  as  they  could  get  it,  and  as  it  was  their  own, 
nobody  could  hinder  them  from  doing  what  they 
pleased  with  it.  Shirley  and  I  have  made  up  our 
minds  that  most  likely  the  present  government 
thought  that  they  wouldn't  be  in  office  when  the 
money  arrived  if  they  didn't  have  it  on  hand  in 
pretty  short  order,  and,  of  course,  if  they  got  their 
fingers  on  that  treasure,  they  could  stay  in  power  as 
long  as  they  pleased. 

"It  is  hard  to  believe  that  any  government  could  be 
such  fools— for  they  ordered  it  all  shipped  on  an 
ordinary  merchant  vessel,  an  English  steamer,  the 
Durikery  Beacon,  which  was  pretty  nigh  ready  to  sail 
for  Lima.  Now,  any  other  government  in  this  world 
would  have  sent  a  man-of-war  for  that  gold,  or  some 
sort  of  an  armed  vessel  to  convoy  it,  but  that  wasn't 
the  way  with  the  Peruvians !  They  wanted  their 
money,  and  they  wanted  it  by  the  first  steamer  which 
could  be  got  ready  to  sail.  They  weren't  going  to 
wait  until  they  got  one  of  their  cruisers  over  to  Eng 
land—not  they ! 

"The  quickest  way,  of  course,  would  have  been  to 
ship  it  to  Aspinwall,  and  then  take  it  by  rail  to 
Panama,  and  from  there  ship  it  to  Lima.  But  I  sup 
pose  they  were  afraid  to  do  that.  If  that  sort  of 
freight  had  been  carried  overland,  they  couldn't  have 
hindered  people  from  finding  out  what  it  was,  and 
pretty  nearly  everybody  in  Central  America  would 
have  turned  train-robber.  Anyway,  the  agents  over 

180 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

there  got  the  Durikery  Beacon  to  sail  a  little  before 
her  regular  time. 

' '  Now  here  comes  the  point !  They  actually  shipped 
a  hundred  and  sixty  million  dollars'  worth  of  pure 
gold  on  a  merchant  steamer  that  was  going  on  a  regu 
lar  voyage,  and  would  actually  touch  at  Jamaica  and 
Rio  Janeiro  on  account  of  her  other  freight,  instead 
of  buying  her  outright,  or  sending  her  on  the  straight- 
est  cruise  she  could  make  for  Lima !  Just  think  of 
that!  More  than  that,  this  business  was  so  talked 
about  by  the  Peruvian  agents,  while  they  were  trying 
to  get  the  earliest  steamer  possible  for  it,  that  it  was 
heard  of  in  a  good  many  more  ports  than  one  ! 

"Well,  this  steamer,  with  all  the  gold  on  board,  sailed 
just  as  soon  as  it  could,  and  the  very  next  day  our 
London  bankers  got  a  telegram  from  Paris,  from  the 
head  of  a  detective  bureau  there,  to  tell  them  that 
no  less  than  three  vessels  were  fitting  out  in  the  big 
gest  kind  of  hurry  to  go  after  that  slow  merchant 
steamer  with  the  millions  on  board ! " 

Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  uttered  a  simultaneous  cry  of 
horror.  "Do  you  mean  they're  pirates,  and  are  going 
to  steal  the  gold?"  cried  Mrs0  Cliff. 

"Of  course  they  are  ! "  continued  Burke.  "And  I 
don't  wonder  at  it !  Why,  I  don't  believe  such  a 
cargo  of  gold  ever  left  a  port  since  the  beginning 
of  the  world !  Such  a  thing  as  that  is  enough  to 
tempt  anybody  with  the  smallest  streak  of  rascal 
blood  in  him,  and  who  could  get  hold  of  a  ship  ! 

"Well,  these  three  vessels  were  fitting  out  hard  as 
they  could— two  in  France,  at  Toulon  and  Marseilles, 
and  one  in  Genoa  $  and  although  the  detectives  were 
almost  positive  what  their  business  was,  they  were 

181 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

not  sure  that  they  could  get  proof  enough  to  stop 
them.  If  the  Durikery  Beacon  had  been  going  on  a 
straight  voyage,  even  to  Rio  Janeiro,  she  might  have 
got  away  from  them,  but,  you  see,  she  was  goin'  to 
touch  at  Jamaica ! 

"And  now,  now,— this  very  minute,— that  slow  old 
steamer  and  those  three  pirates  are  on  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  together  !  Why,  it  makes  your  blood  creep  to 
think  of  it ! " 

"Indeed,  it  does  !  It's  awful ! "  cried  Mrs.  Cliff. 
"And  what  are  the  London  people  going  to  do?" 

"  They're  not  going  to  do  anything,  so  far  as  I 
know ! "  said  Burke.  "If  they  could  get  through 
with  the  red-tape  business  necessary  to  send  any  sort 
of  a  cruiser  or  war-vessel  after  the  Durikery  Beacon  to 
protect  her,— and  I'm  not  sure  that  they  could  do  it 
at  all,— it  would  be  a  precious  long  time  before  such 
a  vessel  would  leave  the  English  Channel !  But  I 
don't  think  that  they'll  try  anything  of  the  sort.  All  I 
know  is  that  the  London  people  sent  a  cable  message 
to  Captain  Horn.  I  suppose  that  they  thought  he 
ought  to  know  what  was  likely  to  happen,  con- 
siderin'  that  he  was  the  head  man  in  the  whole 
business ! " 

"And  what  did  the  captain  do?"  cried  Mrs.  Cliff. 
"What  could  he  do?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Burke.  "I  expect  he  did 
everything  that  could  be  done  in  the  way  of  sending 
messages,  and,  among  other  things,  he  sent  that  tele 
gram,  about  a  thousand  words,  more  or  less,  to  Shirley. 
He  might  have  telegraphed  to  me,  perhaps,  but  he 
didn't  know  my  address,  as  I  was  wandering  around. 

182 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

But  Shirley,  you  know,  is  a  fixture  in  Ms  shipyard, 
and  so  he  sent  it  to  him ! " 

"I  haven't  a  doubt,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "that  he  would 
have  telegraphed  to  you  if  he  had  known  where  you 
were." 

"I  hope  so,"  said  Burke.  "And  when  he  had  told 
Shirley  all  that  had  happened,  he  asked  him  to  pull 
up  stakes,  and  sail  by  the  first  steamer  he  could  catch 
for  Jamaica.  There  was  a  chance  that  he  might  get 
there  before  the  Durikery  Beacon  arrived,  or  while  she 
was  in  port,  and  then  he  could  tell  everything  to  make 
her  captain  understand  that  he  needn't  be  afraid  to 
lose  anything  on  account  of  his  ship  stopping  in 
Kingston  harbor  until  arrangements  could  be  made 
for  his  carrying  his  gold  in  safety  to  Lima.  Captain 
Horn  didn't  think  that  the  pirates  would  try  to  do 
anything  before  the  Durikery  Beacon  left  Kingston. 
They  would  just  follow  her  until  she  got  into  the 
South  Atlantic,  and  then  board  her,  most  likely ! 

"Captain  Horn  said  that  he  was  going  to  Jamaica, 
too,  but  as  he  didn't  know  how  soon  he  would  be  able 
to  sail  from  Vera  Cruz,  he  wanted  Shirley  to  go  ahead 
without  losing  a  minute.  And  then  Shirley  he  tele 
graphed  to  me  up  at  Plainton,— thinking  I  was  there 
and  that  I  ought  to  know  all  about  it,— and  the  women 
at  my  house  took  so  long  forwarding  it  that  I  did  not 
get  it  until  yesterday  evening,  and  then  I  rushed 
around  to  where  Shirley  was  staying,  and  got  there 
just  in  time  to  catch  him,  for  the  next  steamer  to 
Jamaica  sailed  early  this  morning.  But  he  had  plenty 
of  time  to  tell  me  everything. 

"The  minute  he  got  the  captain's  telegram,  he  just 
183 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

dropped  everything  and  started  for  New  York.  And 
I  can  tell  you,  Mrs.  Cliff,  I'd  have  done  the  same,  for 
I  don't  know  what  I  wouldn't  do  to  get  the  chance  to 
see  Captain  Horn  again  ! " 

"And  you  wanted  to  go  with  Mr.  Shirley?"  said 
Mrs.  Cliff,  with  an  eager  light  in  her  eyes. 

"Indeed,  I  did ! "  said  Burke.  "But,  of  course,  I 
wouldn't  think  of  such  a  thing  as  going  off  and  leaving 
you  here  with  that  yacht  on  your  hands,  and  no  know 
ing  what  you  would  do  with  the  people  on  board,  and 
everything  else !  So  I  saw  Shirley  off  about  seven 
o'clock  this  morning,  and  then  I  came  to  report  to 
you." 

"That  was  too  much  to  expect,  Mr.  Burke,"  said 
Mrs.  Cliff,  "but  it  was  just  like  you,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  it !  But  now,  tell  me  one  thing  :  is  Mrs.  Horn 
going  to  Jamaica  with  the  captain?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Burke,  "but,  of  course,  she 
must  be— he  wouldn't  leave  her  alone  in  Mexico  ! " 

"Of  course  she  is ! "  cried  Mrs.  Cliff.  "And  Mr. 
Shirley  will  see  them !  And  oh,  Mr.  Burke,  why 
can't  we  see  them  ?  Of  all  things  in  the  world,  I  want 
to  see  Edna,  and  the  captain,  too  !  And  why  can't  we 
go  straight  to  Jamaica  in  the  Summer  Shelter,  instead 
of  going  anywhere  else?  We  may  get  there  before 
they  all  leave.  Don't  you  think  we  could  do  that?" 

The  eyes  of  Captain  Burke  fairly  blazed.  "Do  it ! " 
he  cried,  springing  to  his  feet.  "I  believe  we  can  do 
it.  At  any  rate,  we  can  try !  The  same  to  you,  madam, 
I  would  do  anything  in  the  world  to  see  Captain  Horn, 
and  nobody  knows  when  we  will  have  the  chance ! 
Well,  madam,  it's  all  the  plainest  kind  of  sailing.  We 
can  get  off  at  daylight  to-morrow  morning,  and  if  that 

184 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

yacht  sails  as  they  told  me  she  sails,  I  believe  we  may 
overhaul  Shirley,  and  perhaps  we  will  get  to  King 
ston  before  any  of  them !  And  now  I've  got  to  bounce 
around,  for  there's  a  good  deal  to  be  done  before  night 
fall!" 

"But  what  about  the  Synod?"  asked  Willy  Croup. 

"Bless  my  soul ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Burke,  stopping 
suddenly  on  his  way  to  the  door.  "I  forgot  the 
Synod." 

Mrs.  Cliff  hesitated  for  a  moment.  "I  don't  think 
it  need  make  any  difference !  It  would  be  a  great 
shame  to  disappoint  all  those  good  men.  Why  couldn'  t 
we  take  them  along,  all  the  same?  Their  weight 
wouldn't  make  the  yacht  go  any  slower,  would  it,  Mr. 
Burke?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it!"  said  he.  "But  they  may  not 
want  to  go  so  far.  Besides,  if  we  find  the  captain  at 
Kingston,  we  mayn't  feel  like  going  back  in  a  hurry. 
I'll  tell  you  what  we  could  do,  Mrs.  Cliff!  We 
wouldn't  lose  any  time  worth  speaking  of  if  we 
touched  at  Nassau— that's  in  the  Bahamas,  and  a  jolly 
place  to  go  to.  Then  we  might  discharge  our  cargo  of 
ministers,  and  if  you  paid  their  board  until  the  next 
steamer  sailed  for  New  York,  and  their  passage  home, 
I  should  think  they  would  be  just  as  well  satisfied  as 
if  they  came  back  with  us  ! " 

Mrs.  Cliff  reflected.  "That's  true  ! "  said  she,  pres 
ently.  "I  can  explain  the  case  to  them,  and  I  don't 
see  why  they  should  not  be  satisfied.  And  as  for  me, 
nobody  could  be  more  willing  than  I  am  to  give  pleas 
ure  to  those  ministers,  but  I  don't  believe  that  I  could 
give  up  seeing  Edna  and  Captain  Horn  for  the  sake  of 
any  members  of  any  Synod ! " 

185 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

"All  right,  madam ! "  cried  the  impatient  Burke. 
"You  settle  the  matter  with  the  parsons,— and  I 
haven't  a  doubt  you  can  make  it  all  right,— and  I'll 
be  off !  Everything  has  got  to  be  on  board  to-night. 
I'll  come  after  you  early  this  evening."  With  this  he 
departed. 

When  Mr.  Burke  had  gone,  Mrs.  Cliff,  very  much 
excited  by  what  she  had  heard,  and  by  the  thought  of 
what  she  was  going  to  do,  told  Willy  that  she  could 
go  on  with  the  packing,  while  she  herself  went  over  to 
the  church  in  Brooklyn  and  explained  matters  to  the 
members  of  the  Synod  who  intended  to  go  with  her, 
and  gave  them  a  chance  to  decide  whether  or  not  the 
plan  proposed  by  Mr.  Burke  would  suit  them. 

She  carried  out  this  intention,  and  drove  to  Brooklyn 
in  a  carriage,  but  having  been  delayed  by  many  things 
which  Willy  wanted  to  know  about  the  packing,  and 
having  forgotten  in  what  street  the  church  was  situ 
ated,  she  lost  a  good  deal  of  time,  and  when  she 
reached  her  destination  she  found  that  the  Synod  had 
adjourned  sine  die. 

Mrs.  Cliff  sighed.  It  was  a  great  pity  to  have  taken 
so  much  trouble,  especially  when  time  was  so  precious, 
but  she  had  done  what  she  could.  It  would  be  im 
possible  for  her  to  find  the  members  in  their  tem 
porary  places  of  abode,  and  the  only  thing  she  could 
do  now  was  to  tell  them  the  change  in  her  plans  when 
they  came  on  board  that  evening,  and  then,  if  they 
did  not  care  to  sail  with  her,  they  would  have  plenty 
of  time  to  go  on  shore  again. 


186 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  "SUMMER  SHELTER"  GOES  TO  SEA 

MR.  BURKE  did  not  arrive  to  escort  Mrs.  Cliff  and 
"Willy  Croup  to  the  yacht  until  nearly  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening.  They  had  sent  their  baggage  to  the 
vessel  in  the  afternoon,  and  had  now  been  expecting 
him,  with  great  impatience,  for  nearly  an  hour.  But 
when  Mr.  Burke  arrived,  it  was  impossible  to  find 
fault  with  him,  for  he  had  been  busy,  he  said,  every 
minute  of  the  day. 

He  had  made  up  a  full  crew.  He  had  a  good  sailing- 
master,  and  the  first  mate  who  had  been  on  the  yacht 
before.  Everything  that  he  could  think  of  in  the  way 
of  provisions  and  stores  was  on  board,  and  there  was 
nothing  to  prevent  their  getting  out  of  the  harbor 
early  in  the  morning. 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  stepped  on  board  her  yacht,  the 
Summer  Shelter,  her  first  thought  was  directed  to 
ward  her  guests  of  the  Synod  j  and  when  the  mate, 
Mr.  Burdette,  had  advanced  and  been  introduced  to 
her,  she  asked  him  if  any  of  the  clergymen  had  yet 
appeared. 

"They're  all  aboard,  madam,"  said  he,— "fourteen 
of  them !  They  came  aboard  about  seven  o'clock,  and 

187 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

they  stayed  in  the  saloon  until  about  half-past  nine, 
and  one  of  them  came  to  me  and  said  that,  as  they 
were  very  tired,  they  thought  they'd  go  to  bed,  think 
ing,  most  likely,  as  it  was  then  so  late,  you  wouldn't 
come  aboard  until  morning.  So  the  steward  showed 
them  their  state-rooms,  and  we  had  to  get  one  more 
ready  than  we  expected  to,  and  they're  now  all  fast 
asleep  ;  but  I  suppose  I  could  arouse  some  of  them  up, 
if  you  want  to  see  them  ! " 

Mrs.  Cliff  turned  to  Burke  with  an  expression  of 
despair  on  her  face.  "What  in  the  world  shall  I  do  ?  " 
said  she.  "I  wanted  to  tell  them  all  about  it,  and  let 
them  decide  ;  but  it  would  be  horrible  to  make  any  of 
them  who  didn't  care  to  go  get  up  and  dress,  and  go 
out  into  this  damp  night  air  to  look  for  a  hotel ! " 

"Well,"  said  Burke,  "all  that's  going  ashore  has  got 
to  go  ashore  to-night.  We'll  sail  as  soon  as  it  is  day 
light  !  If  I  was  you,  Mrs.  Cliff,  I  wouldn't  bother 
about  them.  You  invited  them  to  go  to  the  Bahamas, 
and  you're  going  to  take  them  there,  and  you're  going 
to  send  them  back  the  best  way  you  can,  and  I'm 
willing  to  bet  a  clipper  ship  against  your  yacht  that 
they  will  be  just  as  well  satisfied  to  come  back  in  a 
regular  steamer  as  to  come  back  in  this  !  You  might 
offer  to  send  them  over  to  Savannah,  and  let  them 
come  up  by  rail.  They  might  like  that  for  a  change. 
The  way  the  thing  looks  to  me,  madam,  you're  pro 
posing  to  give  them  a  good  deal  more  than  you 
promised." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "one  thing  is  certain :  I'm 
not  going  to  turn  any  of  them  out  of  their  warm  beds 
this  night,  and  we  might  as  well  go  to  our  rooms,  for 
it  must  be  a  good  deal  after  ten." 

188 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

When  Willy  Croup  beheld  her  little  state-room,  she 
stood  at  the  door  and  looked  in  at  it  with  rapture. 
She  had  a  beautiful  chamber  in  Mrs.  Cliff's  new  house, 
fully  and  elegantly  furnished,  but  there  was  something 
about  this  little  bit  of  a  bedroom,  with  all  its  nautical 
conveniences,  its  hooks  and  shelves  and  racks,  its  dear 
little  window,  and  its  two  pretty  berths,— each  just 
big  enough  and  not  a  bit  too  big,— which  charmed  her 
as  no  room  she  had  ever  seen  had  charmed  her. 

The  Summer  Shelter  must  have  started,  Mrs.  Cliff 
thought,  before  daylight  the  next  morning,  for  when 
she  was  awakened  by  the  motion  of  the  engine  it  was 
not  light  enough  to  distinguish  objects  in  the  room. 
But  she  lay  quietly  in  her  berth,  and  let  her  proud 
thoughts  mount  high  and  spread  wide.  As  far  as  the 
possession  of  wealth  and  the  sense  of  power  could  ele 
vate  the  soul  of  woman,  it  now  elevated  the  soul  of 
Mrs.  Cliff. 

This  was  her  own  ship  which  was  going  out  upon 
the  ocean !  This  was  her  engine  which  was  making 
everything  shake  and  tremble !  The  great  screw 
which  was  dashing  the  water  at  the  stern  and  forcing 
the  vessel  through  the  waves  belonged  to  her  !  Every 
thing—the  smoke-stacks,  the  tall  masts,  the  nautical 
instruments— was  her  property !  The  crew,  the 
stewards,  and  the  engineers,  were  all  in  her  service ! 
She  was  going  to  the  beautiful  island  of  the  sunny 
tropics  because  she  herself  had  chosen  to  go  there ! 

It  was  with  great  satisfaction,  too,  that  she  thought 
of  the  cost  of  all  this.  A  great  deal  of  money  had 
been  paid  for  that  yacht,  and  it  had  relieved,  as 
scarcely  any  other  expenditure  she  would  be  likely  to 
make  could  have  relieved,  the  strain  upon  her  mind 

189 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

occasioned  by  the  pressure  of  her  income.  Even  after 
the  building  of  her  new  apartments,  her  money  had 
been  getting  the  better  of  her.  Now  she  felt  that  she 
was  getting  the  better  of  her  money. 

By  the  way  the  yacht  rolled  and,  at  the  same  time, 
pitched  and  tossed,  Mrs.  Cliff  thought  it  likely  that 
they  must  be  out  upon  the  open  sea,  or,  at  least,  well 
down  the  outer  bay.  She  liked  the  motion,  and  the 
feeling  that  her  property,  moving  according  to  her 
will,  was  riding  dominant  over  the  waves  of  the  sea, 
sent  a  genial  glow  through  every  vein.  It  was  now 
quite  light,  and  when  Mrs.  Cliff  got  up  and  looked 
out  of  her  round  window,  she  could  see,  far  away  to 
the  right,  the  towering  lighthouses  of  Sandy  Hook. 

About  eight  o'clock  she  dressed  and  went  out  on 
deck.  She  was  proud  of  her  good  sailing  qualities. 
As  she  went  up  the  companionway,  holding  firmly  to 
the  bright  brass  rail,  she  felt  no  more  fear  of  falling 
than  if  she  had  been  one  of  the  crew.  When  she  came 
out  on  the  upper  deck,  she  had  scarcely  time  to  look 
about  her  when  a  man,  whom  at  first  sight  she  took 
to  be  a  stranger,  came  forward  with  outstretched  hand. 
But  in  an  instant  she  saw  it  was  not  a  stranger.  It 
was  Captain  Burke,  but  not  as  she  had  ever  seen  him 
before.  He  was  dressed  in  a  complete  suit  of  white 
duck  with  gold  buttons,  and  he  wore  a  white  cap 
trimmed  with  gold— an  attire  so  different  from  his 
high  silk  hat  and  the  furs  that  it  was  no  wonder  that 
at  first  she  did  not  recognize  their  wearer. 

"Why,  Captain  Burke,"  she  cried,  "I  didn't  know 
you ! " 

"No  wonder,"  said  he.  "This  is  a  considerable 
change  from  my  ordinary  toggery.  But  it's  the  uni- 

190 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

form  of  a  captain  of  a  yacht.  You  see,  that's  different 
from  what  it  would  be  if  I  commanded  a  merchant 
vessel,  or  a  liner,  or  a  man-of-war ! " 

"It  looks  awfully  cool  for  such  weather/7  said  she. 

"Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "but  it's  the  proper  thing  5 
and  yachts,  you  know,  generally  cruise  around  in 
warmish  weather.  However,  we're  getting  south  as 
fast  as  we  can.  I  tell  you,  madam,  this  yacht  is  a 
good  one  !  We've  just  cast  the  log,  and  she's  doing 
better  than  fourteen  knots  an  hour,  and  we  haven't 
got  full  steam  on,  either !  It  seems  funny,  madam, 
for  me  to  command  a  steamer,  but  I'll  get  used  to  it 
in  no  time.  If  it  was  a  sailin'- vessel,  it  wouldn't  be 
anything  out  of  the  way,  because  I've  studied  naviga 
tion,  and  I  know  more  about  a  ship  than  many  a 
skipper.  But  a  steam-yacht  is  different !  However, 
I've  got  men  under  me  who  know  how  to  do  what  I 
order  them  to  do,  and,  if  necessary,  they're  ready  to 
tell  me  what  I  ought  to  order  ! " 

"I  don't  believe  there  could  be  a  better  captain," 
said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "and  I  do  hope  you  won't  take  cold ! 
And  now  I  want  to  see  the  ministers  as  soon  as  they 
are  ready.  I  think  it  will  be  well  for  me  to  receive 
them  up  here.  I  am  not  sure  that  I  remember  prop 
erly  the  names  of  all  of  them,  but  I  shall  not  hesitate 
to  ask  them,  and  then  I  shall  present  each  one  of  them 
to  you.  It  will  be  a  sort  of  a  reception,  you  know ! 
After  that  we  can  all  go  on  pleasantly  like  one  family. 
"We  will  have  to  have  a  pretty  big  table  in  the  saloon, 
but  I  suppose  we  can  manage  that." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Burke.  "And  now  I'll  see  the 
steward,  and  tell  him  to  let  the  parsons  know  that 
you're  ready  to  receive  them." 

191 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  this  the  steward 
appeared  on  deck,  and,  approaching  Mrs.  Cliff  and  the 
captain,  touched  his  hat.  "Come  to  report,  sir,"  said 
he,  "the  ministers  are  all  seasick  !  There  ain't  none 
of  them  wants  to  get  out  of  their  berths,  but  some  of 
them  want  tea." 

Mrs.  Cliff  and  the  captain  could  not  help  laughing,  al 
though  the  former  declared  it  was  not  a  laughing  matter. 

"But  it  isn't  surprising,"  said  the  captain.  "It's 
pretty  rough,  and  I  suppose  they're  all  thoroughbred 
landsmen.  But  they'll  get  over  it  before  long,  and 
when  they  come  on  deck  it's  likely  it  will  be  pleas- 
anter  weather.  We're  having  a  considerable  blow 
just  now,  and  it  will  be  worse  when  we  get  farther 
out.  So  I  should  say  that  you  and  Miss  Croup  and 
myself  had  better  have  our  breakfast." 

The  steward  was  still  standing  by,  and  he  touched 
his  hat  again,  this  time  to  Mrs.  Cliff. 

"The  other  lady  is  very  seasick.  I  heard  her 
groaning  fearfully  as  I  passed  her  door." 

"Oh,  I  must  go  down  to  Willy,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff. 
"And,  captain,  you  and  I  will  have  to  breakfast 
together." 

As  Mrs.  Cliff  opened  the  door  of  Willy  Croup's 
state-room,  a  pale,  white  face  in  the  lower  berth  was 
turned  toward  her,  and  a  weak  and  trembling  voice 
said  to  her  :  "Oh,  Sarah,  you  have  come  at  last !  Is 
there  any  way  of  getting  me  out  of  this  horrible  little 
hole?" 

For  two  days  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Captain  Burke  break 
fasted,  dined,  and  supped  by  themselves.  They  had 
head  winds,  and  the  sea  was  very  rough,  and  although 
the  yacht  did  not  make  the  time  that  might  have 

192 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

been  expected  of  her  in  fair  weather,  she  did  very 
well,  and  Burke  was  satisfied.  The  two  stewards 
were  kept  very  busy  with  the  prostrate  and  dejected 
members  of  the  Synod,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  and  the  steward 
ess  devoted  their  best  efforts  to  the  alleviation  of  the 
woes  of  Willy,  which  they  were  glad  to  see  were  daily 
dwindling. 

They  had  rounded  Cape  Hatteras.  The  sea  was 
smoother,  the  cold  wind  had  gone  down,  and  Willy 
Croup,  warmly  wrapped  up,  was  sitting  in  a  steamer- 
chair  on  deck.  The  desire  that  she  might  suddenly 
be  transferred  to  Plainton  or  to  heaven  was  gradually 
fading  out  of  her  mind,  and  the  blue  sky,  the  distant 
waves,  and  the  thought  of  the  approaching  meal  were 
exercising  a  somewhat  pleasurable  influence  upon  her 
dreamy  feeling,  when  Captain  Burke,  who  stood  near 
with  a  telescope,  announced  that  the  steamer  over 
there  on  the  horizon  line  was  heading  south,  and  that 
he  had  a  notion  she  was  the  Antoninaj  the  vessel  on 
which  Shirley  had  sailed. 

"I  believed  that  we  could  overhaul  her ! "  said  he 
to  Mrs.  Cliff.  "I  didn't  know  much  about  her  sailing 
qualities,  but  I  had  no  reason  to  believe  she  has  the 
speed  of  this  yacht,  and  as  we're  on  the  same  course, 
I  thought  it  likely  we  would  sight  her,  and,  what's 
more,  pass  her.  We'll  change  our  course  a  little,  so 
that  we  will  be  closer  to  her  when  we  pass." 

Mrs.  Cliff,  who  had  taken  the  glass,  but  could  not 
see  through  it  very  well,  returned  it  to  the  captain, 
and  remarked  :  "If  we  can  go  so  much  faster  than  she 
does,  why  can't  we  take  Mr.  Shirley  on  board  when 
we  catch  up  to  her  ?  " 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Burke.  "To  do 
193 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

that,  both  vessels  would  have  to  lay  to  and  lose  time, 
and  she  might  not  want  to  do  it,  as  she's  a  regular 
steamer,  and  carries  the  mail.  And  besides,  if  Shir 
ley's  under  orders— that  is,  the  same  thing  as  orders 
— to  go  straight  to  Jamaica,  I  don't  know  that  we 
have  any  right  to  take  him  off  his  steamer  and  carry 
him  to  Nassau.  Of  course,  he  might  get  to  Jamaica 
just  as  soon,  and  perhaps  sooner,  if  he  sailed  with  us, 
but  we  don't  know  it.  We  may  be  delayed  in  some 
way  ;  there're  lots  of  things  that  might  happen,  and, 
anyway,  I  don't  believe  in  interfering  with  orders, 
and  I  know  Shirley  doesn't,  either.  I  believe  he 
would  want  to  keep  on.  Besides,  we  don't  really 
know  yet  that  that's  the  Antonina." 

A  couple  of  hours,  however,  proved  that  Captain 
Burke's  surmise  had  been  correct,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  the  two  vessels  were  abreast  of  each  other. 
The  yacht  had  put  on  all  steam,  and  had  proved  her 
self  capable  of  lively  speed.  As  the  two  vessels  ap 
proached  within  hailing  distance,  Captain  Burke  went 
up  on  the  little  bridge,  with  a  speaking-trumpet,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  Shirley  was  on  the  bridge  of 
the  other  steamer,  with  another  trumpet. 

To  the  roaring  conversation  which  now  took  place, 
everybody  on  each  vessel  who  was  not  too  sick,  who  had 
no  duties,  or  who  could  be  spared  from  them,  listened 
with  the  most  lively  interest.  A  colloquy  upon  the 
lonely  sea  between  two  persons,  one  upon  one  vessel 
and  the  other  upon  another,  must  always  be  an  inci 
dent  of  absorbing  importance. 

Very  naturally  Shirley  was  amazed  to  find  it  was 
his  friend  Burke  who  was  roaring  at  him,  and  de 
lighted  when  he  was  informed  that  the  yacht  was  also 

194 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

on  its  way  to  Jamaica  to  meet  Captain  Horn.  After 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  high-sounding  talk,  during 
which  Shirley  was  informed  of  Burke's  intention  to 
touch  at  Nassau,  the  interview  terminated.  The  Sum 
mer  Shelter  shaping  her  course  a  little  more  to  the 
south,  by  nightfall  the  Antonina  had  faded  out  of  sight 
on  the  northeast  horizon. 

"I  shouldn't  wonder/7  said  Cap  tain  Burke,  at  dinner, 
"if  we  got  to  Jamaica  before  her  anyway,  although 
we're  bound  to  lose  time  in  the  harbor  at  Nassau." 

The  company  at  the  dinner-table  was  larger  than  it 
had  yet  been.  Five  members  of  the  Synod  had  ap 
peared  on  deck  during  the  speaking-trumpet  conver 
sation,  and  feeling  well  enough  to  stay  there,  had  been 
warmly  greeted  and  congratulated  by  Mrs.  Cliff.  The 
idea  of  a  formal  reception  had,  of  course,  been  given 
up,  and  there  was  no  need  of  presenting  these  gentle 
men  to  the  captain,  for  he  had  previously  visited  all 
of  his  clerical  passengers  in  their  berths,  and  was  thus 
qualified  to  present  them  to  Mrs.  Cliff  as  fast  as  they 
should  make  their  appearance.  At  dinner-time  two 
more  came  into  the  saloon,  and  the  next  morning  at 
breakfast  the  delegation  from  the  Synod  were  all  pres 
ent,  with  the  exception  of  two  whose  minds  were  not 
yet  quite  capable  of  properly  appreciating  the  subject 
of  nutrition. 

When  at  last  the  Summer  Shelter  found  herself  in 
the  smoother  waters  and  the  warmer  air  of  the  Gulf 
Stream,  when  the  nautilus  spread  its  gay-colored  sail 
in  the  sunlight  by  the  side  of  the  yacht,  when  the 
porpoises  flashed  their  shining  black  bodies  out  of 
the  water  and  plunged  in  again  as  they  raced  with 
the  swiftly  moving  vessel,  when  great  flocks  of  flying- 

195 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

fish,  would  rise  into  the  air,  skim  high  above  the 
water,  and  then  all  fall  back  again  with  a  patter  as  of 
big  raindrops,  and  the  people  on  the  deck  of  the 
Summer  Shelter  took  off  their  heavy  wraps  and  unbut 
toned  their  coats,  it  was  a  happy  company  which  sailed 
with  Mrs.  Cliff  among  the  beautiful  isles  of  the  West 
Indies. 


196 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

WILLY  CROUP  COMES  TO  THE  FRONT 

THE  pleasant  rays  of  the  semi-tropical  sun  so  warmed 
and  subsequently  melted  the  varied  dispositions  of 
the  company  on  board  the  Summer  Shelter  that,  in  spite 
of  their  very  different  natures,  they  became  fused,  as 
it  were,  into  a  happy  party  of  friends. 

Willy  Croup  actually  felt  as  if  she  were  a  young 
woman  in  a  large  party  of  gentlemen,  with  no  rivals. 
She  was  not  young,  but  many  of  her  youthful  qualities 
still  remained  with  her,  and  under  the  influence  of 
her  surroundings  they  all  budded  out  and  blossomed 
bravely.  At  the  end  of  a  day  of  fine  weather  there 
was  not  a  clergyman  on  board  who  did  not  wish  that 
Miss  Croup  belonged  to  his  congregation. 

As  for  the  members  of  the  Synod,  there  could  be  no 
doubt  that  they  were  thoroughly  enjoying  themselves. 
Tired  with  the  long  winter's  work,  and  rejoiced,  al 
most  amazed,  to  be  so  suddenly  freed  from  the  cold 
wintry  weather  of  their  homes,  all  of  their  spirits  rose, 
and  most  of  their  hearts  were  merry. 

There  were  but  few  gray  heads  among  these  clergy 
men,  and  the  majority  of  them  were  under  middle  age. 
Some  of  them  had  been  almost  strangers  to  each  other 
when  they  came  on  board,  but  now  there  were  no 

197 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

strangers  on  the  Summer  Shelter.  Some  of  them  had 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  but  not  one  had  ever  taken  a 
coastwise  voyage  on  a  comparatively  small  vessel,  and 
although  the  consequence  of  this  new  experience,  their 
involuntary  seclusion  during  the  first  days  of  the  trip, 
and  their  consequent  unconventional  and  irregular 
acceptance  of  Mrs.  Cliff's  hospitality,  had  caused  a  little 
stiffness  in  their  demeanor  at  first,  this  speedily  disap 
peared,  hand  in  hand  with  the  recollection  of  that 
most  easily  forgotten  of  human  ills  which  had  so  rudely 
interfered  with  their  good  manners. 

As  far  as  the  resources  of  their  portmanteaus  would 
allow,  these  reverend  clergymen  dressed  themselves 
simply  and  in  semi-nautical  costumes.  Some  played 
quoits  upon  the  upper  deck,  in  which  sport  Willy 
joined.  Others  climbed  up  the  shrouds,  preferably  on 
the  inside— this  method  of  exercise,  although  very 
difficult,  being  considered  safer  in  case  of  a  sudden 
lurch  of  the  vessel.  And  the  many  other  sportive 
things  they  did,  and  the  many  pleasant  anecdotes 
they  told,  nearly  all  relating  to  the  discomfiture  of 
clergymen  under  various  embarrassing  circumstances, 
caused  Captain  Burke  to  say  to  Mrs.  Cliff  that  he  had 
never  imagined  that  parsons  were  such  jolly  fellows, 
and,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  he  would  be  glad  to 
take  out  another  party  of  them. 

"But  if  we  do,"  he  said,  "I  think  we'd  better  ship 
them  on  a  tug  and  let  them  cruise  around  the  light 
ship  for  two  or  three  days.  Then,  when  they  hoisted 
a  signal  that  they  were  all  well  on  board,  we  could  go 
out  and  take  them  off.  In  that  way.  you  see,  they'd 
really  enjoy  a  cruise  on  the  Summer  Shelter." 

As  the  sun  went  down  behind  the  distant  coast  of 
198 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Florida,  they  were  boarded  by  a  negro  pilot,  and  in  the 
morning  they  awoke  to  find  themselves  fast  to  a  pier  of 
the  city  of  Nassau,  lying  white  in  the  early  daylight. 

The  members  of  the  Synod  had  readily  agreed  to 
Mrs.  Clings  plan  to  leave  them  at  Nassau  and  let  them 
return  by  a  regular  passenger  steamer,  and  they  all 
preferred  to  go  by  sea  to  Savannah  and  then  to  their 
homes  by  rail.  With  expenses  paid,  none  but  the 
most  unreasonable  of  men  could  have  objected  to  such 
a  plan. 

As  Captain  Burke  announced  that  he  would  stop  at 
Nassau  for  a  day  to  take  in  some  fresh  stores,  espe 
cially  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  and  to  give  Mrs.  Cliff 
and  Willy  Croup  an  opportunity  to  see  the  place,  the 
Summer  Shelter  was  soon  deserted.  But  in  the  evening 
everybody  returned  on  board,  as  the  company  wished 
to  keep  together  as  long  as  possible,  and  there  would 
be  plenty  of  time  in  the  morning  for  the  members  of 
the  Synod  to  disembark  and  go  to  the  hotel. 

Very  early  in  the  morning,  Captain  Burke  was 
aroused  by  the  entrance  of  the  sailing-master,  Mr. 
Portman,  into  his  state-room.  "'Morning,  sir,"  said 
Mr.  Portman.  "I  want  you  to  come  out  here  and  look 
at  something ! " 

Perceiving  by  the  manner  and  tones  of  the  other 
that  there  was  something  important  to  be  looked  at, 
Captain  Burke  jumped  up,  quickly  dressed  himself, 
and  went  out  on  deck.  There,  fastened  against  the 
foremast,  was  a  large  piece  of  paper  on  which  were 
written  these  words : 

"  We  don't  intend  to  sail  on  a  filibustering  cruise.  We 
know  what  it  means  when  you  take  on  arms  in  New 
York,  and  discharge  your  respectable  passengers  in 

199 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Nassau.  We  don't  want  nothing  to  do  with  your  next 
lot  of  passengers,  and  don't  intend  to  get  into  no  scrapes. 
Sogood-by!  THE  CREW." 

"You  don't  mean  to  say/'  cried  Burke,  "that  the 
crew  has  deserted  the  vessel ! " 

"That's  what  it  is,  sir/'  said  Mr.  Burdette,  the  first 
mate,  who  had  just  joined  them.  "The  crew  has 
cleared  out,  to  a  man !  Mr.  Portman  and  I  are  left, 
the  engineer's  left,  and  his  assistant— they  belonged  to 
the  yacht,  and  didn't  have  much  to  do  with  the  crew. 
But  the  rest's  all  gone— deck-hands,  stewards,  and 
even  the  cook  !  The  stewardess  must  have  gone,  too, 
for  I  haven't  seen  her." 

"What's  the  meaning  of  all  this?"  shouted  Burke, 
his  face  getting  very  red.  "When  did  they  go,  and 
why  did  they  go  ?  " 

"It's  the  second  mate's  watch,  and  he  is  off  with 
them,"  said  Mr.  Burdette.  "I  expect  he's  at  the 
bottom  of  it.  He's  a  mighty  wary  fellow.  Just  as 
like  as  not,  he  spread  the  report  that  we  were  going 
on  a  filibustering  expedition  to  Cuba,  and  the  ground 
for  it,  in  my  opinion,  is  those  cases  of  arms  you  opened 
the  other  day." 

"I  think  that  is  it,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Portman.  "You 
know,  there's  a  rising  in  Cuba,  and  there  was  lots  of 
talk  about  filibustering  before  we  left.  I  expect  the 
people  thought  that  the  ladies  were  going  on  shore 
the  same  as  the  parsons." 

Burke  was  confounded.  He  knew  not  what  to  say 
or  what  to  think,  but  seeing  Mrs.  Cliff  appearing  at 
the  head  of  the  companionway,  he  thought  it  his  first 
duty  to  go  and  report  the  state  of  affairs  to  her,  which 

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MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

he  did.  That  lady's  astonishment  and  dismay  were 
very  great. 

"What  are  we  going  to  do?"  she  asked.  "And 
what  do  you  mean  by  the  cases  of  arms  ? " 

"I'm  afraid  that  was  a  piece  of  folly  on  my  part," 
said  Burke. 

"I  didn't  know  we  had  arms  on  board  ! " 

"Well,  what  we  have  don't  amount  to  much,"  said 
Burke.  "But  this  was  the  way  of  it.  After  I  heard 
the  message  from  Captain  Horn  about  the  pirates,  and 
everything,  and  as  I  didn't  know  exactly  what  sort  of 
craft  we  would  meet  round  about  Jamaica,  I  thought 
we  would  feel  a  good  deal  safer,  especially  on  account 
of  you  and  Miss  Croup,  if  we  had  some  firearms 
aboard.  So  I  put  in  some  repeating  rifles  and  ammu 
nition,  and  I  paid  for  them  out  of  my  own  pocket. 
Such  things  always  come  in  useful,  and  while  I  was 
commanding  the  vessel  on  which  you  were  sailing, 
Mrs.  Cliff,  I  didn't  want  to  feel  that  I'd  left  anything 
undone  which  ought  to  be  done.  Of  course,  there 
was  no  reason  to  suppose  that  we  would  ever  have  to 
use  them,  but  I  knew  I  would  feel  better  if  I  had 
them.  But  there  was  one  thing  I  needn't  have  done, 
and  that  was,  I  needn't  have  opened  them,  which  I 
did  the  other  day,  in  company  with  Mr.  Burdette, 
because  I  hadn't  had  time  before  to  examine  them, 
and  I  wanted  to  see  what  they  were.  Some  of  the 
crew  must  have  noticed  the  guns,  and  as  they  couldn't 
think  why  we  wanted  them,  unless  we  were  going  on 
a  filibustering  expedition,  they  got  that  notion  into 
their  heads,  and  so  cut  the  ship.  It  was  easy  enough 
to  do  it,  for  we  were  moored  to  a  pier,  ana  the  second 

201 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

mate,  whose  watch  they  went  away  in.  was  most  likely 
at  the  head  of  the  whole  business  ! " 

"But  what  are  we  going  to  do? "  asked  Mrs.  Cliff. 

"I  must  get  another  crew  just  as  soon  as  I  can/7  said 
he,  "and  there  isn't  a  minute  to  be  lost !  I  was 
stretching  a  point  when  I  agreed  to  stop  over  a  day, 
but  I  thought  we  could  afford  that  and  reach  King 
ston  as  soon  as  Shirley  does.  When  he  gets  there 
with  his  message  to  the  captain  of  the  Dunkery  Beacon 
I  want  to  be  on  hand.  There's  no  knowing  what  will 
have  to  be  done,  or  what  will  have  to  be  said.  I  don't 
want  Shirley  to  think  that  he's  got  nobody  to  stand 
by  him ! " 

"Indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "we  ought  to  lose  no  time, 
for  Captain  Horn  may  be  there.  It  is  a  most  dreadful 
misfortune  to  lose  the  crew  this  way  !  Can't  you  find 
them  again?  Can't  you  make  them  come  back?  " 

"If  they  don't  want  to  be  found,"  said  Burke,  "it 
will  take  a  good  while  to  find  them.  But  I'm  going 
on  shore  this  minute,  and  I  wish  you  would  be  good 
enough  to  tell  Miss  Croup  and  the  ministers  how 
matters  stand." 

The  news  of  the  desertion  of  the  crew,  when  told  by 
Mrs.  Cliff  to  those  of  the  passengers  who  had  come  on 
deck,  and  speedily  communicated  by  these  to  their 
companions,  created  a  great  sensation.  Willy  Croup 
was  so  affected  that  she  began  to  cry.  "Is  there  any 
danger?  "  she  said,  "and  hadn't  we  better  go  on  shore ? 
Suppose  some  other  vessel  wanted  to  come  up  to  this 
wharf,  and  we  had  to  move  away— there's  nobody  to 
move  us  !  And  suppose  we  were  to  get  loose  in  some 
way— there's  nobody  to  stop  us  ! " 

"You  are  very  practical,  Miss  Croup,"  remarked  the 
202 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Rev.  Mr.  Hodgson,  the  youngest  clergyman  on  board. 
"But  I  am  sure  you  need  not  have  the  least  fear. 
We  are  moored  firm  and  fast,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
Captain  Burke  will  soon  arrive  with  the  necessary 
men  to  take  you  to  Jamaica." 

Willy  dried  her  eyes,  and  then  she  said :  "There's 
another  practical  thing  I'm  thinking  of— there  isn't 
any  breakfast,  and  the  cook's  gone  !  But  I  believe  we 
can  arrange  that.  I  could  cook  the  breakfast  myself 
if  I  had  anybody  to  help  me.  I'll  go  speak  to  Mrs. 
Cliff." 

Mrs.  Cliff  was  decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  they  all 
ought  to  have  breakfast,  and  that  she  and  Willy  could 
at  least  make  coffee,  and  serve  the  passengers  with 
bread  and  butter  and  preserved  meats,  but  she  re 
marked  to  Mr.  Hodgson  that  perhaps  the  gentlemen 
would  rather  go  to  their  hotels  and  get  their  breakfast. 

"No,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Hodgson,  a  stout,  sun- 
browned  fellow,  who  looked  more  like  a  hunter  than 
a  clergyman.  "We  have  been  talking  over  the  matter, 
and  we  are  not  going  to  desert  you  until  the  new  men 
come.  And  as  to  breakfast,  here  are  Mr.  Litchfield 
and  myself  ready  to  serve  as  stewards,  assistants, 
cooks,  or  in  any  culinary  capacity.  We  both  have 
camped  out  and  are  not  green  hands.  So  you  must 
let  us  help  you,  and  we  shall  consider  it  good  fun." 

"It  will  be  funny,"  said  Willy,  "to  see  a  minister 
cook !  So  let's  go  down  to  the  kitchen.  I  know 
where  it  is,  for  I've  been  in  it ! " 

"I  think,  Miss  Croup,"  said  Mr.  Litchfield,  a  tall 
young  man  with  black  hair  and  side-whiskers,  and  a 
good  deal  of  manner,  "that  you  should  say  ( galley'  or 
'  caboose,'  now  that  we  are  all  nautical  together." 

203 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"Well,  I  can't  cook  nautical/7  said  Willy,  "and  I 
don't  intend  to  try !  But  I  guess  you  can  eat  the  food, 
if  it  isn't  strictly  naval." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  volunteer  cooks  were  all  at 
work,  and  Willy's  familiarity  with  household  affairs, 
even  when  exhibited  under  the  present  novel  condi 
tions,  shone  out  brightly.  She  found  some  cold  boiled 
potatoes,  and  soon  set  Mr.  Hodgson  to  work  frying 
them.  Mrs.  Cliff  took  the  coffee  in  hand  with  all  her 
ante-millionaire  skill,  and  Willy  skipped  from  one 
thing  to  another,  as  happy  as  most  people  are  whose 
ability  has  suddenly  forced  them  to  the  front. 

"Oh,  you  ought  to  see  the  Synod  setting  the  table ! " 
she  cried,  bursting  into  the  galley.  "They're  getting 
things  all  wrong,  but  it  doesn't  matter,  and  they  seem 
to  be  enjoying  it.  Now,  then,  Mr.  Litchfield,  I  think 
you  have  cut  all  the  bread  that  can  possibly  be  eaten." 

Mr.  Burdette  had  gone  on  shore  with  the  captain, 
and  Mr.  Portman  considered  it  his  duty  to  remain  on 
deck,  but  the  volunteer  corps  of  cooks  and  stewards 
did  their  work  with  hearty  good  will,  and  the  break 
fast  would  have  been  the  most  jolly  meal  that  they 
had  yet  enjoyed  together,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
uncertainty  and  uneasiness  naturally  occasioned  by 
the  desertion  of  the  crew. 

It  was  after  ten  o'clock  when  Captain  Burke  and 
Mr.  Burdette  returned.  "We're  in  a  bad  fix,"  said 
the  former,  approaching  Mrs.  Cliff,  who,  with  all  the 
passengers,  had  been  standing  together  watching  them 
come  down  the  pier.  "There  was  a  steamer  cleared 
from  here  the  day  before  yesterday  which  was  short- 
handed,  and  seems  to  have  carried  off  all  the  available 
able  seamen  in  the  port.  But  I  believe  that  is  all 

204 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

stuff  and  nonsense  !  The  real  fact  seems  to  be— and 
Mr.  Burdette  and  I've  agreed  on  that  point— that  the 
report  has  got  out  that  we're  filibusters;  and  nobody 
wants  to  ship  with  us  !  Everything  looks  like  it,  you 
see.  Here  we  come  from  New  York  with  a  regular 
lot  of  passengers,  but  we've  got  arms  on  board,  and  we 
drop  the  passengers  here  and  let  them  go  home  some 
other  way,  and  we  sail  on,  saying  we're  bound  for 
Jamaica— for  Cuba  is  a  good  deal  nearer,  you  know. 
But  the  worst  thing  is  this,  and  I'm  bound  to  tell  it, 
so  that  you  can  all  know  how  the  case  stands,  and  take 
care  of  yourselves  as  you  think  best.  There's  reason 
to  believe  that  if  the  government  of  this  place  has  not 
already  had  its  eye  on  us,  it  will  have  its  eye  on  us 
before  very  long,  and,  for  my  part,  I'd  give  a  good  deal 
of  money  to  be  able  to  get  away  before  they  do.  But 
without  a  crew  we  can't  do  it !  " 

Mrs.  Cliff  and  Burke  now  retired  to  consult. 
"Madam,"  said  he,  "I'm  bound  to  ask  you,  as  owner, 
what  do  you  think  we  ought  to  do  ?  If  you  take  my 
advice,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  get  rid  of  the 
ministers.  You  can  settle  with  them  about  their 
travelling,  and  let  them  go  to  their  hotels.  Then 
perhaps  I  can  rake  up  a  few  loafers,  landsmen  or 
anybody  who  can  shovel  coal  or  push  on  a  capstan - 
bar,  and  by  offering  them  double  wages  get  them  to 
ship  with  us.  Once  in  Jamaica,  we  shall  be  all 
right." 

"But  don't  you  think  it  will  be  dangerous,"  said 
Mrs.  Cliff,  "to  go  around  offering  extra  pay  in  this 
way?" 

"That  may  be,"  he  answered,  "but  what  else  is 
there  to  do?" 

205 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

At  this  moment  Mr.  Litchfield  approached. 
"Madam,"  said  he,  "we  have  been  discussing  the 
unfortunate  circumstances  in  which  you  find  yourself 
placed,  and  we  now  ask  if  you  have  made  any  plans 
in  regard  to  your  future  action  f  " 

"The  circumstances  are  truly  unfortunate,"  replied 
Mrs.  Cliff,  "for  we  are  anxious  to  get  to  Jamaica  as 
soon  as  possible,  on  account  of  very  important  business, 
and  I  don't  see  how  we  are  to  do  it.  We  have  made 
no  plans,  except  that  we  feel  it  will  be  well  for  you 
gentlemen  to  leave  us  and  go  to  your  hotel,  where 
you  can  stay  until  the  steamer  will  sail  for  Savannah, 
day  after  to-morrow.  As  for  ourselves,  we  don't  know 
what  we  are  going  to  do — unless,  indeed,  some  sort 
of  a  vessel  may  be  starting  for  Jamaica,  and  in  that 
case  we  could  leave  the  Summer  Shelter  here  and  go 
on  her." 

"No,"  said  Burke,  "I  thought  of  that,  and  in 
quired.  Nothing  will  sail  under  a  week,  and  in 
that  time  everybody  we  want  to  see  may  have  left 
Jamaica ! " 

"Will  you  excuse  me  for  a  few  minutes?"  said  Mr. 
Litchfield,  and  with  that  he  returned  to  his  com 
panions. 

"Captain,"  said  Willy,  "won't  you  come  down  and 
have  your  breakfast?  I  don't  believe  you  have  eaten 
a  thing,  and  you  look  as  if  you  needed  it ! " 

Captain  Burke  really  did  look  as  if  he  needed  a 
good  many  things— among  others,  a  comb  and  a  brush. 
His  gold-trimmed  cap  was  pushed  on  the  back  of 
his  head,  his  white  coat  was  unbuttoned  and  the 
collar  turned  in,  and  his  countenance  was  troubled 
by  the  belief  that  his  want  of  prudence  had  brought 

206 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Mrs.  Cliff  and  her  property  into  a  very  serious  pre 
dicament. 

"Thank  you,"  said  he,  "but  I  can't  eat.     Breakfast 
is  the  last  thing  I  can  think  of  just  now  ! " 

Now  approached  Mr.  Litchfield,  followed  by  all  his 
clerical  brethren.  "Madam,"  said  he,  "we  have  had 
a  final  consultation,  and  have  come  to  make  a  proposi 
tion  to  you  and  the  captain.  We  do  not  feel  that  we 
would  be  the  kind  of  men  we  would  like  to  think  we 
are  if,  after  all  your  kindness  and  great  consideration, 
we  should  step  on  shore  and  continue  the  very  de 
lightful  programme  you  have  laid  out  for  us,  while 
you  are  left  in  doubt,  perplexity,  and  perhaps  danger, 
on  your  yacht.  There  are  five  of  us  who  feel  that 
they  cannot  join  in  the  offer  which  I  am  about  to 
make  to  you  and  the  captain,  but  the  rest  of  us  wish 
most  earnestly  and  heartily  to  offer  you  our  services— 
if  you  think  they  are  worth  anything— to  work  this 
vessel  to  Jamaica.  It  is  but  a  trip  of  a  few  days,  I  am 
told,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  can  return  to  New 
York  from  Kingston  almost  as  conveniently  as  we  can 
from  here.  We  can  all  write  home  and  arrange  for 
any  contingencies  which  may  arise  on  account  of  the 
delay  in  our  return.  In  fact,  it  will  not  be  difficult 
for  most  of  us  to  consider  this  excursion  as  a  part,  or 
even  the  whole,  of  our  annual  vacation.  Those  of  us. 
who  can  go  with  you  are  all  able-bodied  fellows,  and 
if  you  say  so,  captain,  we  will  turn  in  and  go  to  work 
this  moment.  We  have  not  any  nautical  experience, 
but  we  all  have  powers  of  observation,  and,  so  far  as  I 
am  able  to  judge,  I  believe  I  can  do  most  of  the  things 
I  have  seen  done  on  this  vessel  by  your  common  sea 
men,  if  that  is  what  you  call  them." 

207 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Mrs.  Cliff  looked  at  Captain  Burke,  and  lie  looked 
at  her.  "If  it  was  a  sailing-vessel,"  he  exclaimed,  "I'd 
say  she  couldn't  be  worked  by  parsons,  but  a  steamer's 
different !  By  George  !  madam,  let's  take  them,  and 
get  away  while  we  can ! " 


208 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

CHANGES  ON  THE    "SUMMER  SHELTER77 

WHEN  Captain  Burke  communicated  to  Mr.  Portman 
and  Mr.  Burdette  the  news  that  nine  of  their  pas 
sengers  had  offered  to  ship  as  a  crew,  the  sailing- 
master  and  the  first  mate  shook  their  heads.  They 
did  not  believe  that  the  vessel  could  be  worked  by 
parsons. 

"But  there  isn't  anybody  else  ! "  exclaimed  Burke. 
"We've  got  to  get  away,  and  they're  all  able-bodied, 
and  they  have  more  sense  than  most  landsmen  we  can 
ship.  And  besides,  here  are  five  experienced  seamen 
on  board,  and  I  say,  let's  try  the  parsons." 

"All  right,"  said  Mr.  Burdette.  "If  you're  willing 
to  risk  it,  I  am." 

Mr.  Portman  also  said  he  was  willing,  and  the  en 
gineer  and  his  assistant,  who  were  getting  very  ner 
vous,  agreed  to  the  plan  as  soon  as  they  heard  of  it. 

Captain  Burke  shook  himself,  pulled  his  cap  to  the 
front  of  his  head,  arranged  his  coat  properly  and  but 
toned  it  up,  and  began  to  give  orders.  "Now,  then," 
said  he,  "all  passengers  going  ashore,  please  step 
lively  ! "  And  while  this  lively  stepping  was  going 
on,  and  during  the  leave-taking  and  rapid  writing  of 

209 


MRS.    CLIFF'S   YACHT 

notes  to  be  sent  to  the  homes  of  the  clerical  crew,  he 
ordered  Mr.  Burdette  to  secure  a  pilot,  attend  to  the 
clearance  business,  and  make  everything  ready  to 
cast  off  and  get  out  of  the  harbor  as  soon  as  possible. 

When  the  five  reverend  gentlemen  who  had  decided 
not  to  accompany  the  Summer  Shelter  in  her  further 
voyaging  had  departed  for  the  hotel,  portmanteaus  in 
hand,  and  amply  furnished  by  Mrs.  Cliff  with  funds 
for  their  return  to  their  homes,  the  volunteer  crew, 
most  of  them  without  coats  or  waistcoats,  and  all  in  a 
high  picnic  spirit,  set  to  work  with  enthusiasm,  doing 
more  things  than  they  knew  how  to  do,  and  embar 
rassing  Mr.  Burdette  a  good  deal  by  their  over- will 
ingness  to  make  themselves  useful.  But  this  untrained 
alacrity  was  soon  toned  down,  and  early  in  the  after 
noon  the  hawsers  of  the  Summer  Shelter  were  cast  off, 
andshe  steamed  out  of  the  eastern  passage  of  the  harbor. 

There  were  remarks  made  in  the  town  after  the 
departure  of  the  yacht,  but  when  the  passengers  who 
had  been  left  behind,  all  clergymen  of  high  repute, 
had  related  the  facts  of  the  case,  and  had  made  it 
understood  that  the  yacht,  whose  filibustering  pur 
pose  had  been  suspected  by  its  former,  crew,  was  now 
manned  by  nine  members  of  the  Synod  recently  con 
vened  in  Brooklyn,  and  under  the  personal  direction 
of  Mrs.  Cliff,  an  elderly  and  charitable  resident  of 
Plainton,  Maine,  all  distrust  was  dropped,  and  was 
succeeded,  in  some  instances,  by  the  hope  that  the 
yacht  might  not  be  wrecked  before  it  reached  Jamaica. 

The  pilot  left  the  Summer  Shelter.  Three  of  the  clergy 
men  shovelled  coal,  four  of  them  served  as  deck-hands, 
and  two  others  ran  around  as  assistant  cooks  and 
stewards ;  Mr.  Portman  and  Mr.  Burdette  lent  their 

210 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

hands  to  things  which  were  not  at  all  in  their  line  of 
duty  j  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  pared  the  vegetables,  and 
cooked  without  ever  thinking  of  stopping  to  fan  them 
selves  ;  while  Captain  Burke  flew  around  like  half  a 
dozen  men,  with  a  good  word  for  everybody,  and  a 
hand  to  help  wherever  needed.  It  was  truly  a  jolly 
voyage  from  Nassau  to  Kingston. 

The  new  crew  was  divided  into  messes,  and  Mrs. 
Cliff  insisted  that  they  should  come  to  the  table  in  the 
saloon,  no  matter  how  they  looked  or  what  they  had 
been  doing,— on  her  vessel  a  coal-heaver  off  duty  was 
as  good  as  a  captain,— while  the  clergymen  good- 
humoredly  endeavored  to  preserve  the  relative  low 
liness  of  their  positions,  each  actuated  by  a  zealous 
desire  to  show  what  a  good  deck-hand  or  steward  he 
could  make  when  circumstances  demanded  it. 

Working  hard,  laughing  much,  eating  most  heartily, 
and  sleeping  well,  the  busy  and  hilarious  little  party 
on  board  the  Summer  Shelter  steamed  into  the  harbor 
of  Kingston,  after  a  much  shorter  voyage  than  is  gen 
erally  made  from  Nassau  to  that  port. 

"If  I  could  get  a  crew  of  jolly  parsons,"  cried  Cap 
tain  Burke,  "and  could  give  them  a  month's  training 
on  board  this  yacht,  I'd  rather  have  them  than  any 
crew  that  could  be  got  together  from  Cape  Horn  to 
the  North  Pole!" 

"And  by  the  time  you  had  made  able  seamen  of 
them,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  who  was  of  a  conventional 
turn  of  mind,  "they'd  all  go  back  to  their  pulpits  and 
preach ! " 

"And  preach  better  ! "  said  Mr.  Litchfield,  who  was 
standing  by.  "Yes,  sir,  I  believe  they  would  all 
preach  better ! " 

211 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"When  the  anchor  was  dropped,  not  quite  so 
promptly  as  it  would  have  been  done  if  the  clerical 
crew  had  had  any  previous  practice  in  this  operation, 
Mr.  Burke  was  about  to  give  orders  to  lower  a  boat,— 
for  he  was  anxious  to  get  on  shore  as  soon  as  possible, 
—when  he  perceived  a  large  boat,  rowed  by  six  men, 
and  with  a  man  in  the  stern,  rapidly  approaching  the 
yacht.  If  they  were  port  officials,  he  thought,  they 
were  extremely  prompt,  but  he  soon  saw  that  the 
man  in  the  stern,  who  stood  up  and  waved  a  hand 
kerchief,  was  his  old  friend  Shirley. 

"He  must  have  been  watching  for  us,"  said  Captain 
Burke  to  Mrs.  Cliff,  "and  he  put  out  from  one  of  the 
wharves  as  soon  as  we  hove  in  sight.  Shirley  is  a  good 
fellow.  You  can  trust  to  him  to  look  out  for  his 
friends ! " 

In  a  very  short  time  the  six  powerful  negro  oars 
men  had  Shirley's  boat  alongside,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
after  that  he  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the  Summer 
Shelter.  Burke  was  about  to  spring  forward  to  greet 
his  old  comrade,  but  he  stepped  back  to  give  way  to 
Mrs.  Cliff,  who  seized  the  hand  of  Shirley  and  bade 
him  a  most  hearty  welcome,  although,  had  she  met 
him  by  herself  elsewhere,  she  would  not  have  recog 
nized  him  in  the  neat  travelling  suit  which  he  now 
wore. 

Shirley  was  delighted  to  meet  Burke  and  Mrs.  Cliff, 
he  expressed  pleasure  in  making  the  acquaintance  of 
Miss  Croup,  who,  standing  by  Mrs.  Cliffs  side,  was 
quickly  introduced,  and  he  looked  with  astonishment 
at  the  body  of  queer-looking  men  who  were  gathered 
on  the  deck,  and  who  appeared  to  be  the  crew  of  the 
yacht.  But  he  wasted  no  time  in  friendly  greetings 

212 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

nor  in  asking  questions,  but  quickly  informed  Burke 
that  they  were  all  too  late,  and  that  the  Durikery 
Beacon  had  sailed  two  days  before. 

"And  weren't  you  here  to  board  her  ?  "  cried  Burke. 

"No/'  said  Shirley.  "Our  steamer  didn't  arrive 
until  last  night ! " 

Burke  and  Mrs.  Cliff  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay. 
Tears  began  to  come  into  Willy  Croup's  eyes,  as  they 
nearly  always  did  when  anything  unusual  suddenly 
happened.  And  all  the  members  of  the  Synod,  together 
with  Mr.  Portman  and  Mr.  Burdette,  and  even  the 
two  engineers,  who  had  come  up  from  below,  pressed 
close  around  Shirley,  eager  to  hear  what  next  should 
be  said. 

Everybody  on  board  had  been  informed  during  the 
trip  from  Nassau  of  the  errand  of  the  yacht,  for  Mrs. 
Cliff  thought  she  would  be  treating  those  generous 
and  kind-hearted  clergymen  very  badly  if  she  did 
not  let  them  know  the  nature  of  the  good  work  in 
which  they  were  engaged.  And  so  it  had  happened 
that  everybody  who  had  sailed  from  Nassau  on  the 
yacht  had  hoped— more  than  that,  had  even  expected, 
for  the  Dunkery  Beacon  was  known  to  be  a  very  slow 
steamer— to  find  her  in  the  harbor  of  Kingston,  taking 
on  goods  or  perhaps  coaling,  and  now  all  knew  that 
even  Shirley  had  been  too  late. 

"This  is  dreadful!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cliff,  who  was 
almost  on  the  point  of  imitating  Willy  in  the  matter 
of  tears.  "And  they  haven't  any  'idea,  of  course,  of 
the  dangers  which  await  them." 

"I  don't  see  how  they  could  know,"  said  Shirley, 
"for,  of  course,  if  they  had  known,  they  wouldn't  have 
sailed." 

213 


MRS.    CLIFFS   YACHT 

"Did  you  hear  anything  about  her?"  asked  Burke. 
"Was  she  all  right  when  she  arrived?  " 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  that,"  was  the  answer.  "I 
made  inquiries  last  night  about  the  people  who  would 
most  likely  be  consignees  here,  and  this  morning  I 
went  to  a  house  on  Harbor  Street— Beaver  &  Hughes. 
This  house,  in  a  way,  is  the  Jamaica  agent  of  the 
owners.  I  got  there  before  the  office  was  open,  but  I 
didn't  find  out  much.  She  had  delivered  some  cargo 
to  them,  and  had  sailed  on  time  ! " 

"By  George!"  cried  Burke,  "Captain  Horn  was 
right!  They  could  hardly  get  a  chance  to  safely 
interfere  with  her  until  she  had  sailed  from  Kingston, 
and  now  I  bet  they  are  waiting  for  her  outside  the 
Caribbees ! " 

"That's  just  what  I  thought,"  said  Shirley,  "but,  of 
course,  I  didn't  say  anything  to  these  people,  and  I 
soon  found  out  they  didn't  know  much,  except  so  far 
as  their  own  business  was  concerned.  It's  pretty 
certain,  from  what  I  have  heard,  that  she  didn't  find 
any  letters  here  that  would  make  her  change  her 
course  or  do  anything  out  of  the  way.  But  I  did  find 
something !  While  I  was  talking  with  one  of  the 
heads  of  the  house,  the  mail  from  ISTew  York,  which 
had  come  over  in  my  steamer  too  late  to  be  delivered 
the  night  before,  was  brought  in,  and  one  of  the  let 
ters  was  a  cable  message  from  London  to  New  York, 
to  be  forwarded  by  mail  to  Jamaica,  and  it  was 
directed  to  '  Cap  tain  Hagar  of  the  Durikery  Beacon, 
care  of  Beaver  &  Hughes.'  As  I  had  been  asking 
about  the  steamer,  Beaver  or  Hughes,  whichever  it 
was,  mentioned  the  message.  I  told  him  on  the  spot 
that  I  thought  it  was  his  duty  to  open  it,  for  I  was 

214 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

very  sure  it  was  on  important  business.  He  con 
sidered  for  a  while,  saying  that  perhaps  the  proper 
thing  was  to  send  it  on  after  Captain  Hagar  by  mail ; 
but  when  he  had  thought  about  it  a  little,  he  said  per 
haps  he  had  better  open  it,  and  he  did.  The  words 
were  just  these : 

' ' '  On  no  account  leave  Kingston  harbor  until  further 
orders.  BLACKBURN.  ' 

"  Blackburn  is  the  head  owner." 

"What  did  you  say  then?"  asked  Mrs.  Cliff,  very 
earnestly,  "and  what  did  he  say?" 

"I  didn't  say  anything  about  her  being  a  treasure- 
ship,"  replied  Shirley.  "If  it  was  not  known  in 
Jamaica  that  she  was  carrying  that  gold,  I  wasn't 
going  to  tell  it,  for  there  are  as  many  black-hearted 
scoundrels  here  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  world ! 
But  I  told  the  Beaver  &  Hughes  people  that  I  also 
had  a  message  for  Captain  Hagar,  and  that  a  friend  of 
mine  was  coming  to  Kingston  in  a  yacht,  and  that  if 
he  arrived  soon  I  hadn't  a  doubt  that  we  could  over 
haul  the  Durikery  Beacon,  and  give  the  captain  my 
message  and  the  one  from  London  besides,  and  that 
we'd  try  to  do  it,  for  it  was  very  important.  But  they 
didn't  know  me,  and  they  said  they  would  wait  until 
my  friend's  yacht  should  arrive,  and  then  they  would 
see  about  sending  the  message  to  Captain  Hagar. 
Now,  I've  done  enough  talking,  and  we  must  do  some 
thing  ! " 

"What  do  you  think  we  ought  to  do?"  asked 
Burke. 

"Well,  I  say,"  answered  Shirley,  "if  you  have  any 
passengers  to  put  ashore  here,  put  them  ashore,  and 

215 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

then  let's  go  after  the  Dunkery  Beacon  and  deliver  the 
message.  A  stern  chase  is  a  long  chase,  but  if  I'm  to 
judge  by  the  way  this  yacht  caught  up  to  the  Antonina 
and  passed  her,  I  believe  there's  a  good  chance  of  over 
hauling  the  Dunkery  Beacon  before  the  pirates  get  hold 
of  her.  Then  all  she's  got  to  do  is  to  steam  back  to 
Kingston." 

"But  suppose  the  pirates  come  before  she  gets 
back?"  said  Mrs.  Cliff. 

"Well,  they  won't  fool  with  her  if  she  is  in  com 
pany,"  replied  Shirley.  "Now,  and  what  do  you 
say?"  he  asked,  addressing  Burke,  but  glancing 
around  at  the  others.  "  I  don't  know  how  this  ship's 
company  is  made  up,  or  how  long  a  stop  you  are 
thinking  of  making  here,  or  anything  about  it !  But 
you're  the  owner,  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  if  you  lend  Burke 
and  me  your  yacht,  I  reckon  he'll  be  ready  enough  to 
steam  after  the  Dunkery  Beacon  and  deliver  the  mes 
sages.  It's  a  thing  which  Captain  Horn  has  set  his 
heart  upon,  and  it's  a  thing  which  ought  to  be  done  if 
it  can  be  done,  and  this  yacht,  I  believe,  is  the  vessel 
that  can  do  it ! " 

During  this  speech  Mr.  Burke,  generally  so  eager  to 
speak  and  to  act,  had  stood  silent  and  troubled.  He 
agreed  with  Shirley  that  the  thing  to  do  was  to  go 
after  the  Dunkery  Beacon  at  the  best  speed  the  yacht 
could  make.  He  did  not  believe  that  Mrs.  Cliff  would 
object  to  his  sailing  away  with  her  yacht  on  this  most 
important  errand,  but  he  remembered  that  he  had  no 
crew.  These  parsons  must  be  put  off  at  Kingston,  and 
although  he  had  had  no  doubt  whatever  that  he  could 
get  a  crew  in  this  port,  he  had  expected  to  have  a 
week,  and  perhaps  more,  in  which  to  do  it.  To  col- 

216 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

lect  in  an  hour  or  two  a  crew  which  he  could  trust 
with  the  knowledge,  which  would  most  likely  come  to 
them  in  some  way  or  other,  that  the  steamer  they  were 
chasing  carried  untold  wealth,  was  hardly  to  be 
thought  of. 

"As  far  as  I  am  concerned,"  cried  Mrs.  Cliff,  "my 
yacht  may  go  after  that  steamer  just  as  soon  as  she 
can  be  started  away!" 

"And  what  do  you  say,  Burke?  "  exclaimed  Shirley. 

Burke  did  not  answer.  He  was  trying  to  decide 
whether  or  not  he  and  Shirley,  with  Burdette  and 
Portman  and  the  two  engineers,  could  work  the  yacht. 
But  before  he  had  even  a  chance  to  speak,  Mr.  Hodg 
son  stepped  forward  and  exclaimed  : 

"I'll  stick  to  the  yacht  until  she  has  accomplished 
her  business !  I'd  just  as  soon  make  my  vacation  a 
week  longer  as  not.  I  can  cut  it  off  somewhere  else. 
If  you  are  thinking  about  your  crew,  captain,  I  want  to 
say  that,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  am  one  volunteer ! " 

"And  I  am  another  ! "  said  Mr.  Litchfield.  "Now 
that  I  know  how  absolutely  essential  it  is  that  the 
Durikery  Beacon  should  be  overtaken,  I  would  not  for 
a  moment  even  consider  the  surrender  of  my  position 
upon  this  vessel,  which  I  assure  you,  madam,  I  con 
sider  as  an  honor  ! " 

Mr.  Shirley  stared  in  amazement  at  the  speaker. 
What  sort  of  a  seaman  was  this  ?  His  face  and  hands 
were  dirty,  for  he  had  been  shovelling  coal,  but  such 
speech  Shirley  had  never  heard  from  mariner's  lips. 
The  rest  of  the  crew  seemed  very  odd,  and  now  he 
noticed  for  the  first  time  that,  although  many  of  them 
were  in  their  shirt-sleeves,  nearly  all  wore  black 
trousers.  He  could  not  understand  it. 

217 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"Mr.  Litchfield,  sir/7  said  a  large,  heavy  man  with 
a  nose  burnt  very  red,  a  travelling  cap  upon  his  head, 
and  wearing  a  stiffly  starched  shirt  which  had  once 
been  white,  no  collar,  and  a  waistcoat  cut  very  straight 
in  front,  now  opened,  but  intended  to  be  buttoned  up 
very  high,  "I  believe  Mr.  Litchfield  has  voiced  the 
sentiments  of  us  all.  As  he  was  speaking,  I  looked 
from  one  brother  to  another,  and  I  think  I  am  right." 

"You  are  right ! "  cried  every  one  of  the  sturdy  fel 
lows  who  had  so  recently  stepped  from  Synod  to 
yacht. 

"I  knew  it ! "  exultingly  exclaimed  the  speaker. 
"I  felt  it  in  my  heart  of  hearts !  Madam  and  cap 
tain,  knowing  what  we  do,  we  are  not  the  men  to 
desert  you  when  it  is  found  necessary  to  continue  the 
voyage  for  a  little  ! " 

"And  what  would  happen  to  us  if  we  did  leave  the 
yacht?"  said  another.  "We  might  simply  have  to 
remain  at  Kingston  until  you  returned.  Oh,  no  !  we 
wouldn't  think  of  it ! » 

"Burke,"  said  Shirley,  in  a  low  tone,  "who  are  these 
people?" 

"Can't  tell  you  now,"  said  Burke,  his  eyes  glisten 
ing,  "you  might  tumble  overboard  backward  if  I  did  ! 
Gentlemen,"  he  cried,  turning  to  his  crew,  "you're  a 
royal  lot !  And  if  any  of  you  ever  ask  me  to  stand  by 
you,  I'll  do  it  while  there's  breath  in  my  body  !  And 
now,  madam,"  said  he,  his  doubt  and  perplexity  gone, 
and  his  face  animated  by  the  necessity  of  immediate 
action,  "I  can't  now  say  anything  about  your  kind 
ness  in  lending  us  your  yacht,  but  if  you  and  Miss 
Croup  want  to  go  ashore,  there  is  a  boat  alongside." 

"Go  ashore ! "  screamed  Mrs.  Cliff.  "What  are  you 
218 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

talking  about  ?  If  anybody  stays  on  this  yacht,  I  do  ! 
I  wouldn't  think  of  such  a  thing  as  going  ashore  ! " 

"Nor  I ! "  cried  Willy.  "What's  got  into  your  head, 
Mr.  Burke  f  Do  you  intend  to  go  without  eating  f " 

"Ladies/'  cried  Burke,  "you  are  truly  trumps,  and 
that's  all  I've  got  to  say !  And  we'll  get  out  of  this 
harbor  just  as  fast  as  we  can  ! " 

"Look  here,"  cried  Shirley,  running  after  Burke  to 
the  captain's  room,  "I've  got  to  go  ashore  again  and 
get  that  cable  message,— we  must  have  authority  to 
turn  that  steamer  back,  if  we  overhaul  her,— and  I've 
got  to  have  somebody  to  go  with  me.  But  before  we 
do  anything,  you  must  take  time  to  tell  me  who  these 
queer-looking  customers  are  that  you've  got  on  board." 

Burke  shut  the  door  of  his  room,  and  in  as  few 
words  as  possible  he  explained  how  some  of  the  mem 
bers  of  the  recent  Synod  happened  to  be  acting  as  crew 
of  the  yacht.  Shirley  was  a  quiet  and  rather  sedate 
man,  but  when  he  heard  this  tale,  he  dropped  into  a 
chair,  leaned  back,  stretched  out  his  legs,  and  laughed 
until  his  voice  failed  him. 

"Oh,  it's  all  funny  enough,"  said  Burke,  almost  as 
merry  as  his  friend,  "but  they're  good  ones— I  can  tell 
you  that !  You  couldn't  get  together  a  better  set  of 
landsmen.  And  I  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  If  you  want 
anybody  to  go  with  you  to  certify  that  you  are  all 
right,  I'll  send  a  couple  of  parsons  ! " 

"Just  what  I  want ! "  cried  Shirley. 

Burke  quickly  stepped  out  on  deck,  and  calling  the 
mate,  "Mr.  Burdette,"  he  said,  "I  want  you  to  detail 
the  Eev.  Charles  Attlebury  and  the  Kev.  Mr.  Gil- 
lingham  to  go  ashore  with  Mr.  Shirley.  Tell  them  to 
put  on  their  parson's  toggery,— long  coats,  high  hats, 

219 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

and  white  cravats,— and  let  each  man  take  with  him 
the  address  of  his  church  on  a  card.  They  are  to  cer 
tify  to  Mr.  Shirley.  Tell  them  to  step  round  lively— 
we  have  no  time  to  lose  ! " 

Soon  after  the  boat  with  Shirley  and  the  clergymen 
had  pulled  away  from  the  yacht,  two  of  the  clerical 
crew  came  to  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  told  her  that  they  were 
very  sorry  indeed  to  say  that,  having  consulted  the 
sailing-master,  and  having  been  told  by  him  that  it 
was  not  at  all  probable  that  the  yacht  would  be  able 
to  return  to  Kingston  in  a  week,  they  had  been  forced 
to  the  conclusion  that  they  would  not  be  able  to  offer 
her  their  services  during  the  voyage  she  was  about  to 
make.  Important  affairs  at  home  would  make  it 
impossible  for  them  to  prolong  their  most  delightful 
vacation,  and  as  they  had  been  informed  that  the  An- 
tonina  would  return  to  New  York  in  a  few  days,  it 
would  be  advisable  for  them  to  leave  the  yacht  and 
take  passage  to  New  York  in  her.  They  felt,  how 
ever,  that  this  apparent  desertion  would  be  of  less 
importance  than  it  would  have  been  if  it  had  occurred 
in  the  port  of  Nassau,  because  now  the  crew  would 
have  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Shirley,  who  was  certainly 
worth  more  than  both  of  them  together. 

When  Burke  heard  this,  he  said  to  Mrs.  Cliff  that 
he  was  not  sure  but  what  the  parsons  were  quite  cor 
rect,  and  although  everybody  was  sorry  to  lose  two 
members  of  the  party,  it  could  not  be  helped,  and  all 
who  had  letters  to  send  to  New  York  went  to  work  to 
scribble  them  as  fast  as  they  could.  Mrs.  Cliff  also 
wrote  a  note  to  Captain  Horn,  informing  him  of  the 
state  of  affairs,  and  of  their  reasons  for  not  waiting 
for  him,  and  this  the  departing  clergymen  undertook 

220 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

to  leave  with  Beaver  &  Hughes,  where  Captain  Horn 
would  be  sure  to  call. 

When  Shirley  reached  the  counting-house  of  Beaver 
&  Hughes,  he  found  that  it  was  a  great  advantage  to 
be  backed  up  by  a  pair  of  reverend  clergymen  who 
had  come  to  Kingston  in  a  handsome  yacht.  The 
message  for  Captain  Hagar  was  delivered  without 
hesitation,  and  the  best  wishes  were  expressed  that 
they  might  be  able  to  overtake  the  Durikery  Beacon. 

"Her  course  will  be  south  of  Tobago  Island,"  said 
Mr.  Beaver,  "and  then,  if  your  yacht  is  the  vessel  you 
say  it  is,  I  should  say  you  ought  to  overtake  her  before 
she  gets  very  far  down  the  coast.  I  don't  know  that 
Captain  Hagar  will  turn  back  when  he  gets  this  mes 
sage,  having  gone  so  far,  but,  of  course,  if  it  is  impor 
tant,  I  am  glad  there  is  a  vessel  here  to  take  it  to 
him." 

"What  sort  of  a  looking  vessel  is  the  Dunkery 
Beacon  f  "  asked  Shirley. 

"She  is  about  two  thousand  tons,"  said  the  other, 
"has  two  masts  which  do  not  rake  much,  and  her 
funnel  is  painted  black  and  white,  the  stripes  running 
up  and  down.  There  are  three  steamers  on  the  line, 
and  all  their  funnels  are  painted  that  way." 

"We'll  be  apt  to  know  her  when  we  see  her,"  said 
Shirley,  and,  with  a  hurried  leave,  he  and  his  com 
panions  hastened  back  to  the  wharves. 

But  on  the  way  a  thought  struck  Shirley,  and  he 
determined  to  take  time  to  go  to  the  post-office. 
There  might  be  something  for  him,  and  he  had  not 
thought  of  it  before.  There  he  found  a  telegraphic 
message  addressed  to  him,  and  sent  from  Vera  Cruz  to 
New  York,  and  thence  forwarded  by  mail.  It  was 

221 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

from  Captain  Horn,  and  was  as  long  as  an  ordinary 
business  note,  and  informed  Shirley  that  the  captain 
expected  to  be  in  Jamaica  not  long  after  this  message 
reached  Kingston.  There  was  no  regular  steamer 
which  would  reach  there  in  good  time,  but  he  had 
chartered  a  steamer,  the  Monterey,  which  was  then 
being  made  ready  for  sea  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and 
would  probably  clear  for  Kingston  in  a  few  days.  It 
urged  Shirley  not  to  fail  to  keep  the  Durikery  Beacon 
in  port  until  he  arrived. 

Shirley  stood  speechless  for  some  minutes  after  he 
had  read  this  message.  This  telegram  had  come  with 
him  on  the  Antonina  from  New  York !  What  a  fool 
he  had  been  not  to  think  sooner  of  the  post-office ! 
But  what  difference  would  it  have  made  ?  What  could 
he  have  done  that  he  had  not  done?  If  the  captain 
sailed  in  a  few  days  from  the  time  he  sent  the  message, 
he  would  be  here  very  soon,  for  the  distance  between 
Kingston  and  Yera  Cruz  was  less  than  that  from  New 
York  to  Kingston.  The  captain  must  have  counted  on 
Shirley  reaching  Jamaica  very  much  sooner  than  he 
really  did  arrive.  Puzzled,  annoyed,  and  disgusted 
with  himself,  Shirley  explained  the  message  to  his 
companions,  and  they  all  hastened  back  to  the  yacht. 
There  a  brief  but  very  hurried  consultation  was  held, 
in  which  nearly  everybody  j oined.  The  question  to  be 
decided  was,  should  they  wait  for  Captain  Horn  I 

A  great  deal  was  said  in  a  very  short  time,  and  in 
the  midst  of  the  confused  opinions  Mrs.  Cliff  spoke 
out,  loudly  and  clearly.  "It  is  my  opinion,"  said  she, 
"that  we  should  not  stop.  If  fitting  out  a  steamer  is 
like  fitting  out  anything  else  in  this  world  that  I  know 
of,  it  is  almost  certain  to  take  more  time  than  people 

222 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

expect  it  to  take.  If  Captain  Horn  telegraphed  to 
us  this  minute,  I  believe  he  would  tell  us  to  go  after 
that  ship  with  the  gold  on  board,  just  as  fast  as  we 
can,  and  tell  them  to  turn  back." 

This  speech  was  received  with  favor  by  all  who  heard 
it,  and,  without  a  word  in  answer  to  Mrs.  Cliff,  Captain 
Burke  told  Mr.  Burdette  that  they  would  clear  for  a 
cruise,  and  get  away  just  as  soon  as  they  could  do  it. 

When  the  yacht  had  been  made  ready  to  start,  the 
two  clergymen  descended  into  the  boat  which  was 
Baiting  alongside,  andNthe  Summer  Shelter  steamed  out 
of  the  harbor  of  Kingston,  and  headed  away  for  To 
bago  Island. 


223 


CHAPTEE  XXV 

A  NOTE   FOR  CAPTAIN  BURKE 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  fact  that  the  Summer  Shelter 
made  very  good  time,  that  she  had  coaled  at  Nassau, 
and  was  therefore  ready  for  an  extended  cruise,  it  was 
impossible  for  any  of  those  on  board  of  her  to  conceal 
from  themselves  the  very  strong  improbability  of 
sighting  the  Dunkery  Beacon  after  she  had  got  out 
upon  the  wide  Atlantic,  and  that  she  would  pass  the 
comparatively  narrow  channel  south  of  Tobago  Island 
before  the  yacht  reached  it  was  almost  a  foregone 
conclusion. 

Mr.  Burke  assured  Mrs.  Cliff  and  his  passengers  that 
although  their  chase  after  the  steamer  might  reason 
ably  suggest  a  needle  and  a  haystack,  still,  if  the  Dun- 
leery  Beacon  kept  down  the  coast  in  as  straight  a  line 
as  she  could  for  Cape  St.  Koque,  and  if  the  Summer 
Shelter  also  kept  the  same  line,  and  if  the  yacht 
steamed  a  great  deal  faster  than  the  other  vessel,  it 
stood  to  reason  that  it  could  not  be  very  long  before 
the  Summer  Shelter  overhauled  the  Dunkery  Beacon. 

But  those  who  consulted  with  Mr.  Portman  were 
not  so  well  encouraged  as  those  who  pinned  their 
faith  upon  the  captain.  The  sailing-master  had  very 

224 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

strong  doubts  about  ever  sighting  the  steamer  that 
had  sailed  away  two  days  before  they  left  Kingston. 
The  ocean  being  so  very  large,  and  any  steamer  being 
so  very  small  comparatively,  if  they  did  not  pass  her 
miles  out  of  sight,  and  if  they  never  caught  up  to  her, 
he  would  not  be  in  the  least  surprised. 

Four  days  had  passed  since  they  left  Kingston,  when 
Burke  and  Shirley  stood  together  upon  the  deck, 
scanning  the  horizon  with  a  glass.  "Don't  you  think 
it  begins  to  look  like  a  wild-goose  chase!"  said  the 
latter. 

Burke  thrust  his  hands  into  the  pockets  of  his 
jacket. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "it  does  look  like  that.  I  did  be 
lieve  that  we  were  going  to  overhaul  her  before  she 
got  outside  the  Caribbees,  but  she  must  be  a  faster 
vessel  than  I  thought  she  was." 

"I  don't  believe  she's  fast  at  all,"  said  Shirley. 
"She's  had  two  days'  start,  and  that's  enough  to  spoil 
our  business,  I'm  afraid  ! " 

"But  we'll  keep  on,"  said  Burke.  "We're  not  going 
to  turn  back  until  our  coal-bunkers  tell  us  we've  got 
to  do  it ! " 

Steamers  they  saw,  sometimes  two  in  an  hour; 
sailing-vessels  were  sighted,  near  by  or  far  away— 
schooners,  ships,  or  brigs  ;  and  these  were  steaming  and 
sailing  this  way  and  that.  But  never  did  they  see  a 
steamer  with  a  single  funnel  painted  black  and  white, 
with  the  stripes  running  up  and  down. 

It  was  very  early  the  next  morning  after  the  conver 
sation  between  Burke  and  Shirley  that  the  latter  saw  a 
long  line  of  smoke  just  above  the  horizon,  which  he 
thought  might  give  him  reason  for  looking  out  for  the 

225 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

steamer  of  which  they  were  in  quest.  But  when  he  got 
his  glass,  and  the  masts  appeared  above  the  horizon, 
he  saw  that  this  vessel  was  heading  eastward,  perhaps 
a  little  northeast,  and  therefore  was  not  likely  to  be 
the  Durikery  Beacon.  But  in  half  an  hour  his  glass 
showed  him  that  there  were  stripes  on  the  funnel  of 
this  steamer  which  ran  up  and  down,  and  in  a  mo 
ment  Burke  was  called,  and  was  soon  at  his  side. 

"I  believe  that's  the  Durikery  /"  cried  the  captain, 
with  the  glass  to  his  eye.  "But  she's  on  the  wrong 
course !  It  won't  take  us  long  to  overhaul  her. 
We'll  head  the  yacht  a  few  points  to  the  east.  Don't 
say  anything  to  anybody— we  don't  want  to  disap 
point  them." 

"Oh,  we  can  overhaul  her,"  said  Shirley,  who  now 
had  the  glass,  "for  it  isn't  a  stern  chase,  by  any 
means." 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  everybody  on  board  the 
Summer  Shelter  knew  that  the  large  steamer,  which 
they  could  plainly  see  on  the  rolling  waves  to  the 
south,  must  be  the  Durikery  Beacon— unless,  indeed, 
they  should  find  that  this  was  one  of  her  sister  ships 
coming  north.  There  was  great  excitement  on  board 
the  yacht.  The  breakfast,  which  was  in  course  of  prep 
aration,  was  almost  entirely  forgotten  by  those  who 
had  it  in  charge,  and  everybody  who  could  possibly 
leave  duty  crowded  to  the  rail,  peering  across  the 
waves  to  the  southward.  It  was  not  long  before  Shir 
ley,  who  had  the  best  eyes  on  board,  declared  that  he 
could  read  with  his  glass  the  name  Durikery  Beacon  on 
the  port  bow. 

"That's  not  where  we  ought  to  see  it,"  cried  Burke. 
"We  ought  to  see  it  on  the  stern  !  But  we've  got  her, 

226 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

boys  !  "—and  then  he  remembered  himself,  and  added, 
"—ladies  !  And  now  let's  give  three  good  cheers  ! " 

Three  rousing  cheers  were  given  by  all  on  board, 
with  such  good  will  that  they  would  have  been  heard 
on  the  other  steamer  had  not  the  wind  been  pretty 
strong  from  the  west. 

The  Summer  Shelter  gained  upon  the  larger  vessel, 
and  Burke  now  ran  up  signals  for  her  to  lay  to,  as  he 
wished  to  speak  with  her.  To  these  signals,  however, 
the  Dunkery  paid  no  immediate  attention,  keeping 
steadily  on,  although  altering  her  course  toward  the 
southeast. 

"What  does  that  mean,  Mr.  Shirley?"  asked  Mrs. 
Cliff.  "Mr.  Burke  wants  her  to  stop,  doesn't  he? " 

"Yes,"  said  Shirley,  "that  is  what  the  signal  is  for." 

"But  she  doesn't  stop  ! "  said  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Do  you 
think  there  is  any  chance  of  her  not  stopping  at  all  ?  " 

"Can't  say,  madam,"  he  answered.  "But  she's  got 
good  reason  for  keeping  on  her  way.  A  vessel  with  all 
that  treasure  on  board  could  hardly  be  expected  to 
lay  to  because  a  strange  vessel  that  she  knows  nothing 
about  asks  her  to  shut  off  steam." 

"That  seems  to  me  very  reasonable,  indeed,"  said 
Mr.  Litchfield,  who  was  standing  by.  "But  it  would 
be  very  bad  fortune  if,  after  all  the  trouble  and 
anxiety  you  have  had  in  overtaking  this  vessel,  she 
should  decline  to  stop  and  hear  the  news  we  have  to 
tell." 

There  was  a  strong  breeze  and  a  good  deal  of  sea, 
but  Burke  determined  to  get  near  enough  to  hail  the 
Dunkery  Beacon  and  speak  to  her.  So  he  got  round  on 
her  weather  quarter,  and  easily  overtaking  her,  he 
brought  the  Summer  Shelter  as  near  to  the  other  vessel 

227 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

as  he  considered  it  safe  to  do.     Then  he  hailed  her : 
"Durikery  Beacon,  ahoy  !     Is  that  Captain  Hagar  ?  " 

The  wind  was  too  strong  for  the  captain  of  the  other 
vessel  to  answer  through  his  trumpet,  but  he  signalled 
assent.  Then  Burke  informed  him  that  he  wished 
him  to  lay  to  in  order  that  he  might  send  a  boat  on 
board— that  he  had  very  important  orders  to  Captain 
Hagar  from  his  owners,  and  that  he  had  followed  him 
from  Jamaica  in  order  to  deliver  them.  For  some 
time  there  was  no  answer  whatever  to  these  loudly 
bellowed  remarks,  and  the  two  vessels  kept  on  side  by 
side. 

"Anyway,"  said  Burke  to  Mr.  Burdette,  "she  can 
see  that  we're  a  lot  faster  than  she  is,  and  that  she 
can't  get  away  from  us  ! " 

"It  may  be  that  she's  afraid  of  us,"  said  the  mate, 
"and  thinks  we're  one  of  the  pirates." 

"That  can't  be,"  said  Burke,  "for  she  doesn't  know 
anything  about  the  pirates  !  I'll  hail  her  again,  and 
tell  her  what  we  are,  and  what  our  business  is.  I 
think  it  won't  be  long  before  she  lays  to  just  to  see 
what  we  want." 

Sure  enough,  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  the  Durikery 
Beacon  signalled  that  she  would  lay  to,  and  before  long 
the  two  vessels,  their  engines  stopped  and  their  heads 
to  the  wind,  lay  rising  and  falling  on  the  waves,  and 
near  enough  to  speak  to  each  other. 

"Now,  then,  what  do  you  want?"  shouted  the  cap 
tain  of  the  Durikery. 

"I  want  to  send  a  boat  aboard  with  an  important 
message  from  Blackburn  ! " 

After  a  few  minutes  the  answer  came,  "Send  a 
boat!" 

228 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Orders  were  given  to  lower  one  of  the  yacht's  boats, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  Shirley  ought  to  be  the  man  to 
go  over  to  the  Dunkery  Beacon.  "Who  do  you  want 
to  go  with  you  ?  "  asked  Burke. 

"Nobody  but  the  boat's  crew,"  he  answered.  "I 
can  explain  things  better  by  myself.  Captain  Hagar 
seems  to  be  an  obstinate  fellow,  and  it  won't  be  easy 
to  turn  him  back  on  his  course.  But  if  I  want  any 
body  to  stand  by  me  and  back  me  up  in  what  I  say, 
you  might  let  some  of  the  clergymen  come  over.  He 
might  believe  them,  and  wouldn't  me.  But  I'll  talk 
to  him  first  by  myself." 

Every  member  of  the  Synod  declared  that  he  was 
perfectly  willing  to  go  to  the  other  vessel  if  he  should 
be  needed,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  assured  Burke  that  if  she 
could  be  of  any  good  in  making  the  captain  of  the 
Dunkery  Beacon  understand  that  he  ought  to  turn 
back,  she  would  be  perfectly  willing  to  be  rowed  over 
to  his  vessel. 

"I  don't  think  it  will  be  necessary  to  put  a  lady 
into  a  boat  on  such  a  sea  as  this,"  said  Burke.  "But 
when  he  hears  what  Shirley  has  to  tell  him,  that  cap 
tain  will  most  likely  be  glad  enough  to  turn  baek." 

Captain  Burke  was  afraid  to  trust  any  of  his  clerical 
crew  to  row  a  ship's  boat  on  such  a  heavy  sea,  and 
although  he  would  be  perfectly  willing  to  go  himself 
as  one  of  the  oarsmen,  he  would  not  leave  the  yacht 
so  long  as  Mrs.  Cliff  was  on  board.  But  Mr.  Burdette, 
the  sailing-master,  and  the  assistant  engineer  volun 
teered  as  crew  of  the  boat,  while  Shirley  himself 
pulled  an  oar. 

When  the  boat  reached  the  Dunkery  Beacon,  Shirley 
was  soon  on  board,  while  the  three  men  in  the  boat, 

229 


MRS.    CLIFFS    YACHT 

holding  to  a  line  which  had  been  thrown  them,  kept 
their  little  craft  from  bumping  against  the  side  of  the 
big  steamer  by  pushing  her  off  with  their  oars.  On 
board  the  Summer  Shelter  everybody  stood  and  gazed 
over  the  rail,  staring  at  the  other  steamer  as  if  they 
could  hear  with  their  eyes  what  was  being  said  on 
board  of  her.  After  waiting  about  twenty  minutes,  a 
note  was  passed  down  to  the  men  in  the  boat,  who 
pushed  off  and  rowed  back  with  it  to  the  Summer  Shelter. 

The  note,  which  Captain  Burke  opened  and  read  as 
soon  as  he  could  lay  hold  of  it,  ran  as  follows  : 

"  To  CAPTAIN  BURKE  OF  THE  '  SUMMER  SHELTER  ':  It's 
my  opinion  that  you're  trying  to  play  a  beastly  trick 
on  me!  It  isn't  like  my  owners  to  send  a  message 
to  me  off  the  coast  of  South  America.  If  they  wanted 
to  send  me  a  mesage,  it  would  have  been  waiting  for 
me  at  Kingston.  I  don't  know  what  sort  of  a  trick  you 
are  trying  to  play  on  me,  but  you  can't  do  it.  I  know 
my  duties,  and  I'm  going  to  keep  on  to  my  port.  And, 
what's  more,  I'm  not  going  to  send  back  the  man  you 
sent  aboard  of  me.  I'll  take  him  with  me  to  Eio  Janeiro, 
and  hand  him  over  to  the  authorities.  They'll  know 
what  to  do  with  him.  But  I  don't  intend  to  send  him 
back  to  report  to  you  whatever  he  was  sent  aboard  my 
vessel  to  find  out. 

"  I  don't  know  how  you  came  to  think  I  had  treasure 
on  board,  but  it's  none  of  your  business,  anyway.  You 
must  think  I'm  a  fool  to  turn  back  to  Kingston  because 
you  tell  me  to.  Anybody  can  write  a  telegram.  So  I'm 
going  to  get  under  way,  and  you  can  steam  back  to 
Kingston,  or  wherever  you  came  from. 

"CAPTAIN  HAGAR." 

Captain  Burke  had  hardly  finished  reading  this 
extraordinary  letter  when  he  heard  a  cry  from  the 

230 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

boat  lying  by  the  side  of  the  yacht  in  which  the  three 
men  were  waiting,  expecting  to  go  back  to  the  other 
vessel  with  an  answer.  "Hello  ! "  cried  Mr.  Burdette. 
"She's  getting  under  way  !  That  steamer's  off ! " 

And  at  this  a  shout  arose  from  everybody  on  board 
the  Summer  Shelter.  The  propeller  of  the  Durikery 
Beacon  was  stirring  the  water  at  her  stern,  and  she 
was  moving  away,  her  bow  turned  southward.  Burke 
leaned  over  the  rail,  shouted  to  his  men  to  get  on 
board  and  haul  up  the  boat,  and  then  he  gave  orders 
to  go  ahead  full  speed. 

"What  does  all  this  mean?"  cried  Mrs.  Cliff. 
"What's  in  that  letter,  Mr.  Burke?  Are  they  run 
ning  away  with  Mr.  Shirley?  " 

"That's  what  it  looks  like  ! "  he  cried.  "But  here's 
the  letter.  You  can  all  read  it  for  yourselves  ! "  And 
with  that  he  dashed  away  to  take  charge  of  his 
vessel. 

All  now  was  wild  excitement  on  board  the  Summer 
Shelter  j  but  what  was  to  be  done,  or  with  what  inten 
tion  they  were  pursuing  the  Durikery  Beacon  and 
rapidly  gaining  upon  her,  no  one  could  say,  not  even 
Captain  Burke  himself.  The  yacht  was  keeping  on 
the  weather  quarter  of  the  other  vessel,  and  when  she 
was  near  enough,  he  began  again  to  yell  at  her  through 
his  speaking-trumpet.  But  no  answer  or  signal  came 
back,  and  everybody  on  board  the  larger  vessel  seemed 
to  be  attending  to  his  duties  as  if  nothing  had  hap 
pened,  while  Mr.  Shirley  was  not  visible. 

While  the  captain  was  roaring  himself  red  in  the 
face,  both  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  Croup  were  crying, 
and  the  face  of  each  clergyman  showed  great  anxiety 
and  trouble.  Presently  Mrs.  Cliff  was  approached  by 

231 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

the  Rev.  Mr.  Arbuckle,  the  oldest  of  the  members  of 
the  late  Synod  who  had  shipped  with  her. 

"This  is  a  most  unfortunate  and  totally  unexpected 
outcome  of  our  expedition,"  said  he.  "If  Mr.  Shirley 
is  taken  to  Eio  Janeiro  and  charges  made  against  him, 
his  case  may  be  very  serious.  But  I  cannot  see  what 
we  are  to  do  !  Don't  you  believe  it  would  be  well  to 
call  a  consultation  of  those  on  board  f  " 

Mrs.  Cliff  wiped  her  eyes,  and  said  they  ought  to 
consult.  If  anything  could  be  done,  it  should  be  done 
immediately. 

Captain  Burke  put  the  yacht  in  charge  of  the  mate, 
and  came  aft,  where  five  of  the  clergymen,  the  sailing- 
master,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  were  gathered  to 
gether.  "I'm  willing  to  hold  council,"  said  he,  "but 
at  this  minute  I  can't  give  any  advice  as  to  what 
ought  to  be  done.  The  only  thing  I  can  say  is  that 
I  don't  want  to  desert  Shirley.  If  I  could  do  it,  I 
would  board  that  vessel  and  take  him  off,  but  I  don't 
see  my  way  clear  to  that  just  yet.  I'm  not  owner 
of  this  yacht,  but  if  Mrs.  Cliff  will  give  the  word,  I'll 
follow  that  steamer  to  Kio  Janeiro,  and  if  Shirley  is 
put  on  shore  and  charges  made  against  him,  I'll  be 
there  to  stand  by  him  ! " 

"Of  course,  we  will  not  desert  Mr.  Shirley  ! "  cried 
Mrs.  Cliff.  "This  yacht  shall  follow  that  vessel  until 
we  can  take  him  on  board  again.  I  can't  feel  it  in  my 
heart,  gentlemen,  to  say  to  you  that  I'm  willing  to 
turn  back  and  take  you  home  if  you  want  to  go.  It 
may  be  very  hard  to  keep  you  longer,  but  it  will  be 
a  great  deal  harder  if  we  let  the  captain  of  that 
ship  take  poor  Mr.  Shirley  to  Kio  Janeiro  and  put 
him  into  prison,  with  nobody  to  say  a  word  for  him ! " 

232 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"Madam,"  said  Mr.  Arbuckle,  "I  beg  that  you  will 
not  speak  of  the  question  of  an  immediate  return  on 
our  account.  This  is  in  every  way  a  most  unfortunate 
affair,  but  we  all  see  what  ought  to  be  done,  what  it 
is  our  duty  to  do,  and  we  will  do  it !  Can  you  give 
me  an  idea,  Mr.  Portman,  of  the  length  of  time  it 
would  probably  require  for  us  to  reach  Rio  Janeiro  ?  " 

"I  think  this  yacht  could  get  there  in  a  week,"  said 
the  sailing-master.  "But  if  we're  to  keep  company 
with  that  hulk  over  there,  it  will  take  us  ten  days. 
We  may  have  trouble  about  coal,  but  if  we  have  good 
winds  like  these,  we  can  keep  up  with  the  Durikery 
Beacon  with  half-steam  and  our  sails." 

"Captain,"  said  Mrs.  Cliif,  "there  is  no  use  in  our 
talking  any  more.  We  must  stand  by  Mr.  Shirley,  no 
matter  what  happens,  nor  where  we  have  to  go  to  ! " 


233 


CHAPTER  XXYI 

"WE'LL  STICK  TO  SHIRLEY!" 

night  began  to  fall,  the  Durikery  Beacon  was 
still  keeping  on  her  course,— a  little  too  much  to  the 
eastward,  Mr.  Portman  thought,— and  the  Summer 
Shelter  was  still  accompanying  her,  almost  abreast,  and 
less  than  half  a  mile  away.  During  the  day  it  had 
been  seldom  that  the  glasses  of  the  yacht  had  not 
been  directed  upon  the  deck  of  the  larger  vessel. 
Several  times  Mr.  Shirley  had  been  seen  on  the  main- 
deck,  and  he  had  frequently  waved  his  hat.  It  was 
encouraging  to  know  that  their  friend  was  in  good 
condition,  but  there  were  many  hearts  on  board  the 
Summer  Shelter  which  grew  heavier  and  heavier  as  the 
night  came  on. 

Burke  and  Burdette  stood  together  in  the  pilot 
house.  "  Suppose  she  gets  away  from  us  in  the  night  ?  " 
said  the  mate. 

"I  don't  intend  to  let  her  do  it,"  replied  his  captain. 
"Even  if  she  douses  every  glim  on  board,  I'll  keep  her 
in  sight !  It  will  be  starlight,  and  I'm  not  afraid,  with 
a  vessel  as  easily  managed  as  this  yacht,  to  lie  pretty 
close  to  her." 

234 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"Then,  there's  another  thing/'  said  Burdette. 

"You're  thinking  they  may  get  rid  of  him?  "  asked 
Burke. 

"Yes/'  said  the  other,  "I  was  thinking  of  that ! " 

The  captain  did  not  reply  immediately.  "That 
came  across  my  mind,  too,"  said  he,  "but  it's  all  non 
sense  !  In  the  first  place,  they  haven't  got  any  reason 
for  wanting  to  get  rid  of  him  that  way,  and,  besides, 
they  know  that  if  they  went  into  Kio  Janeiro  without 
Shirley,  we  could  make  it  very  hot  for  them  ! " 

"But  he's  a  queer  one— that  Captain  Hagar  !"  said 
Burdette.  "What  was  he  doing  on  that  easterly 
course  I  I  think  he's  a  scaly  customer,  that's  what  I 
think ! " 

"Can't  say  anything  about  that,"  answered  Burke. 
"But  one  thing  I  know :  I'm  going  to  stick  to  him 
like  a  thrasher  to  a  whale  ! " 

Very  early  the  next  morning,  Mr.  Hodgson  came  aft, 
where  Captain  Burke  was  standing  with  the  sailing- 
master.  "Sir,"  said  he,  "I  am  a  clergyman  and  a  man 
of  peace,  but  I  declare,  sir,  that  I  do  not  think  any 
one,  no  matter  what  his  profession,  should  feel  himself 
called  upon  to  submit  to  the  outrageous  conduct  of 
the  captain  of  that  vessel !  Is  there  no  way  in  which 
we  could  approach  her  and  make  fast  to  her,  and  then 
boldly  press  our  way  on  board,  in  spite  of  objection  or 
resistance,  and  by  force,  if  it  should  be  necessary,  bring 
away  Mr.  Shirley,  whose  misfortune  has  made  us  all 
feel  as  if  he  were  not  only  our  friend,  but  our  brother  ? 
Then,  sir,  I  should  let  that  vessel  go  on  to  destruction, 
if  she  chooses  to  go." 

Burke  shook  his  head.  "You  may  be  sure,  if  I  con 
sidered  it  safe  to  run  the  two  vessels  together,  I  would 

235 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

have  been  on  board  that  craft  long  ago!  But  we 
couldn't  do  it— certainly  not  with  Mrs.  Cliff  on  the 
yacht ! " 

"No,  indeed!"  added  Mr.  Portman.  "Nobody 
knows  what  damage  they  might  do  us.  For  my  part, 
I  haven't  any  faith  in  that  vessel.  I  believe  she's  no 
better  than  a  pirate  herself ! " 

"Hold  on  ! "  exclaimed  Burke.  "Don't  talk  like 
that !  It  wouldn't  do  for  the  women  to  get  any  such 
notions  into  their  heads  ! " 

"But  it  is  in  your  head,  isn't  it,  sir?"  said  Mr. 
Hodgson. 

"Yes,"  said  Burke,  "something  of  the  sort.  I  don't 
mind  saying  that  to  you." 

"And  I  will  also  say  to  you,"  replied  the  young 
clergyman,  "that  we  talked  it  over  last  night,  and  we 
all  agreed  that  the  actions  of  the  Durikery  Beacon  are 
very  suspicious.  It  does  not  seem  at  all  unlikely  that 
the  great  treasure  she  carries  has  been  too  much  of  a 
temptation  for  the  captain,  and  that  she  is  trying  to 
get  away  with  it." 

"Of  course,  I  don't  know  anything  about  that  cap 
tain,"  said  Burke,  "or  what  he  is  after,  but  I'm  pretty 
sure  that  he  won't  dare  to  do  anything  to  Shirley  as 
long  as  I  keep  him  in  sight.  And  now  I'm  going  to 
bear  down  on  him  again  to  hail  him  ! " 

The  Summer  Shelter  bore  down  upon  the  other 
steamer,  and  her  captain  hailed  and  hailed  for  half  an 
hour,  but  no  answer  came  from  the  Dunkery  Beacon. 

Willy  Croup  was  so  troubled  by  what  had  happened, 
and  even  more  by  what  was  not  happening,— for  she 
could  not  see  any  good  which  might  come  out  of  this 
persistent  following  of  the  one  vessel  by  the  other,— 

236 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

that  her  nerves  disordered  and  tangled  themselves  to 
such  a  degree  that  she  was  scarcely  able  to  cook. 

But  Mrs.  Cliff  kept  up  a  strong  heart.  She  felt  that 
a  great  deal  depended  upon  her.  At  any  moment  an 
emergency  might  arise  when  she  would  be  called  upon, 
as  owner  of  the  yacht,  to  decide  what  should  be  done. 
She  hoped  very  earnestly  that  if  the  captain  of  the 
Dunkery  Beacon  saw  that  the  Summer  Shelter  was  deter 
mined  to  follow  him,  wherever  he  went  and  whatever 
he  might  do,  he  would  at  last  get  tired  of  being  nagged 
in  that  way,  and  consent  to  give  up  Mr.  Shirley. 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  all  belief  in 
the  minds  of  the  men  on  board  the  yacht  that  the 
Dunkery  Beacon  intended  to  sail  to  Rio  Janeiro  en 
tirely  disappeared,  for  that  steamer  changed  her  course 
to  one  considerably  north  of  east.  A  little  after  that 
a  steamer  was  seen  on  the  horizon  to  the  north,  and  she 
was  bearing  southward.  In  the  course  of  half  an  hour 
it  seemed  as  if  this  new  steamer  was  not  only  likely 
to  run  across  the  course  of  the  Dunkery  Beacon,  but 
was  trying  to  do  it. 

"Captain,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cliff,  grasping  Burke  by 
the  arm,  "don't  you  think  it  looks  very  much  as  if 
that  Captain  Hagar  was  trying  to  run  away  with  the 
treasure  which  has  been  intrusted  to  him?  " 

"I  didn't  intend  to  say  anything  to  you  about  that," 
he  replied,  "but  it  looks  like  it,  most  decidedly ! " 

"If  that  should  be  the  case,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "don't 
you  think  Mr.  Shirley's  situation  is  very  dangerous  ?  " 

"Nobody  knows  anything  about  that,  madam,"  said 
he,  "but  until  we  get  him  back  on  this  yacht,  I'll  stick 
to  her ! " 

Burke  could  not  make  out  the  newcomer  very  well, 

237 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

but  he  knew  her  to  be  a  Mediterranean  steamer.  She 
was  of  moderate  size,  and  making  good  headway.  "I 
haven't  the  least  bit  of  a  doubt,"  said  he  to  Burdette, 
"that  that's  the  pirate  vessel  from  Genoa  ! " 

"I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you're  right ! "  said  the  mate, 
taking  the  glass.  "I  think  I  can  see  a  lot  of  heads  in 
her  bow,  and  now  I  wonder  what  is  going  to  happen 
next ! " 

"That  nobody  knows,"  said  Burke,  "but  if  I  had 
Shirley  on  board  here,  I'd  steam  away  and  let  them 
have  it  out.  We  have  done  all  we're  called  upon  to  do 
to  keep  those  Peruvian  fools  from  losing  that  cargo  of 
gold ! " 

The  strange  vessel  drew  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
Duiikery  Beacony  and  the  two  steamers,  much  to  the 
amazement  of  the  watchers  on  the  yacht,  now  lay  to 
and  seemed  prepared  to  hail  each  other.  They  did 
hail,  and  after  a  short  time  a  boat  was  lowered  from 
the  stranger,  and  pulled  to  the  Durikery  Beacon. 
There  were  but  few  men  in  the  boat,  although  there 
were  many  heads  on  the  decks  from  which  they  had 
come. 

"This  beats  me !"  ejaculated  Burke.  "They  seem 
willing  enough  to  lay  to  for  her ! " 

"It  looks  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Burdette,  "as  if  she 
wanted  to  be  captured ! " 

"I'd  like  to  know,"  said  the  captain,  "what's  the 
meaning  of  that  queer  bit  of  blotched  bunting  that's 
been  run  up  on  the  Durikery  f  " 

"Can't  tell,"  said  the  other,  "but  there's  another 
one  like  it  on  the  other  steamer  ! " 

"My  friends,"  said  Mr.  Arbuckle,  standing  in  a 
group  of  his  fellow-clergymen  on  the  main-deck, 

238 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

"it  is  my  earnest  opinion  that  those  two  ships  are 
accomplices  in  a  great  crime.7' 

"If  that  be  so/'  said  another,  "we  are  here  in  the 
position  of  utterly  helpless  witnesses.  But  we  should 
not  allow  ourselves  to  look  on  this  business  from  one 
point  of  view  only.  It  may  be  that  the  intentions  of 
that  recently  arrived  vessel  are  perfectly  honorable. 
She  may  bring  later  orders  from  the  owners  of  the 
Durikery  Beacon,  and  bring  them,  too,  with  more  au 
thority  than  did  Mr.  Shirley,  who,  after  all,  was  only 
a  volunteer ! " 

The  yacht  was  lying  to,  and  at  this  moment  the 
lookout  announced  a  sail  on  the  starboard  quarter. 
Glancing  in  that  direction,  nearly  everybody  could 
see  that  another  steamer,  her  hull  well  up  in  view, 
was  coming  down  from  the  north. 

"By  George ! "  cried  Burke,  "most  likely  that's 
another  of  the  pirates  ! " 

"And  if  it  is,"  said  his  mate,  "I  think  we'll  have  to 
trust  to  our  heels  ! " 

Burke  answered  quietly,  "Yes,  we'll  do  that  when 
we've  got  Shirley  on  board,  or  when  it's  dead  sure  we 
can't  get  him  ! " 

The  people  from  the  Mediterranean  steamer  did  not 
remain  on  board  the  Durikery  Beacon  more  than  half 
an  hour,  and  when  they  returned  to  their  vessel,  she 
immediately  started  her  engines  and  began  to  move 
away.  Making  a  short  circuit,  she  turned  and  steamed 
in  the  direction  of  the  distant  vessel  approaching  from 
the  northward. 

"There,"  cried  Burke,  "that  steamer  off  there  is 
another  of  the  pirates,  and  these  scoundrels  here  are 
going  to  meet  her.  They've  got  the  whole  thing  cut 

239 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

and  dried,  and  Fll  bet  my  head  that  the  Dunkery 
Beacon  will  cruise  around  here  until  they're  ready  to 
come  down  and  do  what  they  please  with  her ! " 

The  actions  of  the  treasure-ship  now  seemed  to  in 
dicate  that  Mr.  Burke  was  correct  in  his  surmises. 
She  steamed  away  slowly  toward  the  south,  and  then, 
making  a  wide  sweep,  she  steered  northward,  direct 
ing  her  course  toward  the  yacht,  as  if  she  would  speak 
with  it. 


240 


CHAPTER  XXYII 

ON  BOARD  THE  "DUNKERY  BEACON" 

WHEN  Edward  Shirley  stepped  on  board  the  big 
steamer  which  he  had  so  earnestly  and  anxiously  fol 
lowed  from  Kingston,  and  was  received  by  her  captain, 
it  did  not  take  him  long  to  form  the  opinion  that  Cap 
tain  Hagar  belonged  to  a  disagreeable  class  of  mariners. 
He  was  gruff,  curt,  and  wanted  to  know  in  the  shortest 
space  of  time  why  in  the  name  of  his  Satanic  Majesty 
he  had  been  asked  to  lay  to,  and  what  message  that 
yacht  had  for  him. 

Shirley  asked  for  a  private  interview,  and  when 
they  were  in  the  captain's  room  he  put  the  whole 
matter  into  as  few  words  as  possible,  showed  the  cable 
gram  from  Blackburn,  and  also  exhibited  his  message 
from  Captain  Horn.  The  other  scrutinized  the  papers 
very  carefully,  asked  many  questions,  but  made  few 
remarks  in  regard  to  his  own  opinion  or  intentions. 

When  he  had  heard  all  that  Shirley  had  to  tell  him, 
and  had  listened  to  some  very  earnest  advice  that  he 
should  immediately  turn  back  to  Kingston,  or  at  least 
run  into  Georgetown,  where  he  might  safely  lie  in 
harbor  until  measures  had  been  taken  for  the  safe 
conveyance  of  the  treasure  to  Peru,  the  captain  of  the 

241 


MRS.  CLIFFS   YACHT 

Durikery  Beacon  arose,  and  asking  Shirley  to  remain 
where  he  was  until  he  should  go  and  consult  with  his 
first  mate,  he  went  out,  closing  the  door  of  the  room 
behind  him. 

During  this  absence  the  captain  did  not  see  the  first 
mate,  but  he  went  to  a  room  where  there  was  pen,  ink, 
and  paper,  and  there  he  wrote  a  note  to  Captain  Burke 
of  the  Summer  Shelter,  which  note,  as  soon  as  he  had 
signed  it,  he  gave  to  the  men  in  the  small  boat  wait 
ing  alongside,  telling  them  that  it  was  from  their  mate 
who  had  come  on  board,  and  that  he  wanted  an  answer 
just  as  soon  as  possible. 

Mr.  Burdette,  Mr.  Portman,  and  the  assistant  en 
gineer,  having  no  reason  whatever  to  suspect  treachery 
under  circumstances  like  these,  immediately  rowed 
back  to  the  Summer  Shelter,  and,  as  we  already 
know,  it  was  not  long  before  the  Durikery  Beacon  was 
steaming  away  from  the  yacht. 

The  moment  that  Shirley,  who  was  getting  a  little 
tired  of  waiting,  felt  the  movement  of  the  engines,  he 
sprang  to  the  door,  but  found  it  locked.  Now  he 
began  to  kick,  but  in  a  very  few  moments  the  captain 
appeared. 

"You  needn't  make  a  row,"  said  he.  "Nobody's 
going  to  hurt  you.  I  have  sent  a  note  to  your  skipper, 
telling  him  I'm  going  to  keep  you  on  board  a  little 
while  until  I  can  consider  this  matter.  My  duty  to 
my  owners  wouldn't  allow  me  to  be  a-layin'  to  here. 
But  I'll  think  over  the  business,  and  do  what  I  consider 
right.  But  I've  got  to  keep  on  my  course— I've  got 
no  right  to  lose  time,  whether  this  is  all  a  piece  of 
foolin'  or  not." 

"There's  no  fooling  about  it,"  said  Shirley,  warmly. 
242 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"If  you  don't  turn  back  you  will  be  very  likely  to 
lose  a  good  deal  more  than  time.  You  may  lose 
everything  on  board,  and  your  lives  too,  for  all  you 
know." 

The  captain  laughed.  "Pirates  ! "  said  he.  "What 
stuff !  There  are  no  pirates  in  these  days  ! "  and  then 
he  laughed  again.  "Well,  I  can't  talk  any  more  now," 
said  he,  "but  I'll  keep  your  business  in  my  mind,  and 
settle  it  pretty  soon.  Then  you  can  go  back  and  tell 
your  people  what  I'll  do.  You  had  better  go  on  deck 
and  make  yourself  comfortable.  If  you'll  take  my 
advice,  you  won't  do  any  talking.  The  people  on  this 
vessel  don't  know  what  she  carries,  and  I  don't  want 
them  to  know.  So  if  I  see  you  talking  to  anybody, 
I'll  consider  that  you  want  to  make  trouble— and  I 
can  tell  you,  if  some  of  these  people  on  board  knew 
what  was  in  them  boxes  in  the  hold,  there  would  be 
the  worst  kind  of  trouble.  You  can  bet  your  head  on 
that !  So  you  can  go  on  and  show  yourself.  Your 
friends  won't  be  worried  about  you— I've  explained 
it  all  to  them  in  my  note  ! " 

When  Shirley  went  on  deck  he  was  very  much 
pleased  to  see  that  the  Summer  Shelter  was  not  far 
away,  and  was  steaming  close  after  the  larger  vessel. 
He  waved  his  hat,  and  then  he  turned  to  look  about 
him.  There  seemed  to  be  a  good  many  men  on  the 
steamer,— a  very  large  crew,  in  fact,— and  after  noticing 
the  number  of  sailors  who  were  at  work  not  far  away 
from  him,  Shirley  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
were  more  reasons  than  one  why  he  would  not  hold 
conversation  with  them. 

From  their  speech  he  thought  that  they  must  all  be 
foreigners— French  or  Italians,  he  could  scarcely  tell 

243 


MRS.    CLIFFS   YACHT 

which.  It  did  not  seem  to  him  that  these  belonged  to 
the  class  of  seamen  which  a  careful  captain  of  a  British 
merchantman  would  wish  to  ship  when  carrying  a 
cargo  of  treasure  to  a  distant  land,  but  then/all  sorts 
of  crews  were  picked  up  in  English  ports.  Her  cap 
tain,  in  fact,  surprised  Shirley  more  than  did  the  sea 
men  he  had  noticed.  This  captain  must,  of  course,  be 
an  Englishman,  for  the  house  of  Blackburn  Brothers 
would  not  be  likely  to  trust  one  of  their  vessels,  and 
such  an  important  one,  to  the  charge  of  any  one  but 
an  Englishman.  But  he  had  a  somewhat  foreign  look 
about  him.  His  eyes  and  hair  were  very  black,  and 
there  was  a  certain  peculiarity  in  his  pronunciation 
that  made  Shirley  think  at  first  that  he  might  be  a 
Welshman. 

While  Shirley  was  considering  these  matters,  the 
Summer  Shelter  was  rapidly  gaining  on  the  other 
steamer,  and  was  now  alongside  and  within  hailing 
distance,  and  Burke  was  on  the  bridge  with  a  trumpet 
in  his  hand.  At  this  moment  Shirley  was  accosted  by 
the  captain.  "Fve  got  something  to  say  to  you,"  said 
he.  "Step  into  my  room.  Perhaps  we  can  give  your 
friend  an  answer  at  once." 

Shirley  followed  the  other,  the  door  was  shut,  and 
the  captain  of  the  Dunkery  Beacon  began  to  tell  how 
extremely  injudicious  it  would  be,  in  his  opinion,  to 
turn  back,  for  if  pirates  really  were  following  him,— 
although  he  did  not  believe  a  word  of  it,— he  might 
run  right  into  their  teeth,  whereas  by  keeping  on  his 
course  he  would  most  likely  sail  away  from  them,  and 
when  he  reached  Eio  Janeiro,  he  could  make  arrange 
ments  there  for  some  sort  of  a  convoy,  or  whatever 
else  was  considered  necessary. 

244 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

"I'll  go  and  hail  my  skipper,"  said  Shirley,  "if  you'll 
let  me  have  a  speaking-trumpet." 

"No,"  said  the  other,  "I  don't  want  you  to  do  that. 
I  don't  mind  tellin'  you  that  I  don't  trust  you.  I've 
got  very  heavy  responsibility  on  me,  and  I  don't  know 
who  you  are  no  more  than  if  you  was  a  porpoise  come 
a-bouncin'  up  out  of  the  sea.  I  don't  want  you  and 
your  skipper  hoi  din'  no  conversation  with  each  other 
until  I've  got  this  matter  settled  to  my  satisfaction, 
and  then  I  can  put  you  on  board  your  vessel,  and  go 
ahead  on  my  course,  or  I  can  turn  back,  just  which 
ever  I  make  up  my  mind  to  do.  But,  until  I  make 
up  my  mind,  I  don't  want  no  reports  made  from  this 
vessel  to  any  other,  and  no  matter  what  you  say  when 
you  are  hailin',  how  do  I  know  what  you  mean, 
and  what  sort  of  signals  you've  agreed  on  between 
you?" 

Shirley  was  obliged  to  accept  the  situation,  and 
when  Burke  had  ceased  to  hail,  he  was  allowed  to  go 
on  deck.  Then,  after  waving  his  hat  to  the  yacht,— 
which  was  now  at  a  considerable  distance,  although 
within  easy  range  of  a  glass,— Shirley  lighted  his  pipe, 
and  walked  up  and  down  the  deck.  He  saw  a  good 
many  things  to  interest  him,  but  he  spoke  to  no  one, 
and  endeavored  to  assume  the  demeanor  of  one  who 
was  much  interested  in  his  own  affairs,  and  very  little 
in  what  was  going  on  about  him. 

But  Shirley  noticed  a  great  many  things  which 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  him.  The  crew  seemed 
to  be  composed  of  men  not  very  well  disciplined,  but 
exceedingly  talkative,  and  although  Shirley  did  not 
understand  French,  he  was  now  pretty  sure  that  all 
the  conversation  he  heard  was  in  that  tongue.  Then, 

245 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

again,  the  men  did  not  appear  to  be  very  well  ac 
quainted  with  the  vessel— they  frequently  seemed  to 
be  looking  for  things  the  position  of  which  they 
should  have  known.  He  could  not  understand  how 
men  who  had  sailed  on  a  vessel  from  Southampton 
should  show  such  a  spirit  of  inquiry  in  regard  to  the 
internal  arrangements  of  the  steamer.  A  boatswain, 
who  was  giving  the  orders  to  a  number  of  men,  seemed 
more  as  if  he  were  instructing  a  class  in  the  nautical 
management  of  a  vessel  than  in  giving  the  ordinary 
every-day  orders  which  might  be  expected  on  such  a 
voyage  as  this.  Once  he  saw  the  captain  come  on 
deck  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  apparently  a  log-book, 
and  he  showed  it  to  one  of  the  mates.  These  two 
stood  turning  over  the  leaves  of  the  book  as  if  they 
had  never  seen  it  before,  and  wanted  to  find  something 
which  they  supposed  to  be  in  it. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  Shirley  said  to  him 
self  that  he  could  not  understand  how  such  a  vessel, 
with  such  a  cargo,  could  have  been  sent  out  from 
Southampton  in  charge  of  such  a  captain  and  such  a 
crew  as  this.  And  then,  almost  immediately,  the  idea 
came  to  him  in  a  flash  that  perhaps  this  was  not  the 
crew  with  which  the  Dunkery  Beacon  had  sailed  !  Now 
he  seemed  to  see  the  whole  state  of  affairs  as  if  it  had 
been  printed  on  paper.  The  Dunkery  Beacon  had  been 
captured  by  one  of  the  pirates,  probably  not  long  after 
she  got  outside  the  Caribbees,  and  instead  of  trying 
to  take  the  treasure  on  board  their  own  vessel,  the 
scoundrels  had  rid  the  Dunkery  of  her  captain  and 
crew,  and  had  taken  possession  of  the  steamer  and 
everything  in  it.  This  would  explain  her  course  when 
she  was  first  sighted  from  the  yacht.  She  was  not 

246 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

going  at  all  to  Eio  Janeiro— she  was  on  her  way  across 
the  Atlantic. 

Now  everything  that  he  had  seen,  and  everything 
that  he  had  heard,  confirmed  this  new  belief.  Of 
course,  the  pirate  captain  did  not  wish  to  lay  to  when 
he  was  first  hailed,  and  he  probably  did  so  at  last 
simply  because  he  found  he  need  not  be  afraid  of  the 
yacht,  and  that  he  could  not  rid  himself  of  her  unless 
he  stopped  to  see  what  she  wanted.  Of  course,  this 
fellow  would  not  have  him  go  back  to  the  yacht  and 
make  a  report.  Of  course,  this  crew  did  not  under 
stand  how  things  were  placed  and  stored  on  board  the 
vessel,  for  they  themselves  had  been  on  board  of  her 
but  a  very  short  time.  The  captain  spoke  English, 
but  he  was  not  an  Englishman. 

Shirley  saw  plainer  and  plainer  every  second  that 
the  Dunkery  Beacon  had  been  captured  by  pirates, 
that  probably  not  a  man  of  her  former  crew  was  on 
board,  and  that  he  was  here  a  prisoner  in  the  hands 
of  these  wretches — cut-throats,  for  all  he  knew.  And 
yet,  he  did  not  reproach  himself  for  having  run  into 
such  a  trap.  He  had  done  the  proper  thing,  in  a 
proper,  orderly,  and  seaman-like  way.  He  had  had 
the  most  unexpected  bad  luck,  but  he  did  not  in  the 
least  see  any  reason  to  blame  himself. 

He  saw,  however,  a  great  deal  of  reason  to  fear  for 
himself,  especially  as  the  evening  drew  on.  That 
black-headed  villain  of  a  captain  did  not  want  him  on 
board,  and  while  he  might  not  care  to  toss  him  into 
the  sea  in  view  of  a  vessel  which  was  fast  enough  to 
follow  him  wherever  he  might  go,  there  was  no  reason 
why  he  should  not  do  what  he  pleased  if,  under  cover 
of  the  night,  he  got  away  from  that  vessel. 

247 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

The  fact  that  he  was  allowed  to  go  where  he  pleased, 
and  see  what  he  pleased,  gave  much  uneasiness  to 
Shirley.  It  looked  to  him  as  if  they  did  not  care 
what  he  might  say,  hear,  or  see,  for  the  reason  that  it 
was  not  intended  that  he  should  have  an  opportunity 
of  making  reports  of  any  sort.  Shirley  had  his 
supper  to  himself,  and  the  captain  showed  him  a 
bunk.  "They  can't  do  much  talkin'  to  you,"  he  said. 
"I  had  to  sail  ahead  of  time,  and  couldn't  ship  many 
Englishmen." 

"You  liar,"  thought  Shirley,  "you  didn't  ship  any ! " 

Shirley  was  a  brave  man,  but  as  he  lay  awake  in 
his  bunk  that  night,  cold  shivers  ran  down  his  back 
many  times.  If  violence  were  offered  to  him,  of 
course  he  could  not  make  any  defence,  but  he  was 
resolved  that  if  an  attack  should  be  made  upon  him, 
there  was  one  thing  he  would  try  to  do.  He  had 
carefully  noted  the  location  of  the  companionways, 
and  he  had  taken  off  only  such  clothes  as  would  inter 
fere  with  swimming.  If  he  were  attacked,  he  would 
make  a  bolt  for  the  upper  deck,  and  then  overboard. 
If  the  yacht  should  be  near  enough  to  hear  or  see  him, 
he  might  have  a  chance.  If  not,  he  would  prefer  the 
ocean  to  the  Durikery  Beacon  and  her  crew. 

But  the  night  passed  on,  and  he  was  not  molested. 
He  did  not  know,  down  there  below  decks,  that  all 
night  the  Summer  Shelter  kept  so  close  to  the  Dunkery 
Beacon  that  the  people  in  charge  of  the  latter  cursed 
and  swore  dreadfully  at  times  when  the  yacht,  looking 
bigger  and  blacker  by  night  than  she  did  by  day,  rose 
on  the  waves  in  their  wake,  so  near  that  it  seemed 
as  if  a  sudden  squall  might  drive  the  two  vessels 
together. 

248 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

But  there  was  really  no  reason  for  any  such  fear. 
Burke  had  vowed  he  would  stick  to  Shirley,  and  he 
also  stuck  to  the  wheel  all  night,  with  Burdette  or  the 
sailing-master  by  his  side.  And  there  was  not  an  hour 
when  somebody,  either  a  mariner  or  a  clergyman,  did 
not  scan  the  deck  of  the  Durikery  Beacon  with  a  marine 
glass. 

Shirley  was  not  allowed  to  go  on  deck  until  quite 
late  the  next  morning,  after  Burke  had  given  up  his 
desperate  attempt  to  communicate  with  the  Durikery 
Beacon;  and  when  he  did  come  up,  and  had  assured 
himself  at  a  glance  that  the  Summer  Shelter  still  hung 
upon  the  heels  of  the  larger  steamer,  and  had  fran 
tically  waved  his  hat,  the  next  thing  he  saw  was  the 
small  Mediterranean  steamer  which  was  rapidly  com 
ing  down  from  the  north,  while  the  Durikery  Beacon 
was  steaming  northeast.  He  also  noticed  that  some 
men  near  him  were  running  up  a  queer  little  flag  or 
signal,  colored  irregularly  red  and  yellow,  and  then 
he  saw  upon  the  approaching  steamer  a  bit  of  bunting 
which  seemed  to  resemble  the  one  now  floating  from 
the  Durikery.  Of  course,  under  the  circumstances, 
there  was  nothing  for  him  to  believe  but  that  this 
approaching  vessel  was  one  of  the  pirate  ships,  and 
that  she  was  coming  down,  not  to  capture  the  Durikery 
Beacon,  but  to  join  her. 

Now  matters  were  getting  to  be  worse  and  worse, 
and  as  Shirley  glanced  over  at  the  yacht,— still  hover 
ing  on  the  weather  quarter  of  the  Durikery ',  ready  at 
any  time  to  swoop  down  and  hail  her  if  there  should 
be  occasion,— he  trembled  for  the  fate  of  his  friends. 
To  be  sure,  these  two  pirate  vessels— for  surely  the 
Dunkery  Beacon  now  belonged  to  that  class— were 

249 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

nothing  but  merchantmen.  There  were  no  cannon  on 
this  steamer,  and  as  the  other  was  now  near  enough 
for  him  to  see  her  decks  as  she  rolled  to  windward, 
there  was  no  reason  to  suppose  that  she  carried  guns. 
If  these  rascals  wished  to  attack  or  capture  a  vessel, 
they  must  board  her,  but  before  they  could  do  that 
they  must  catch  her,  and  he  knew  well  enough  that 
there  were  few  ordinary  steamers  which  could  over 
haul  the  Summer  Shelter.  If  it  were  not  for  his  own 
most  unfortunate  position,  the  yacht  could  steam  away 
in  safety,  and  leave  these  wretches  to  their  own  devices, 
but  he  did  not  believe  that  his  old  friend  would  desert 
him.  More  than  that,  there  was  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  people  on  the  Summer  Shelter  knew  that  the 
Durikery  Beacon  was  now  manned  by  pirates,  although 
it  was  likely  that  they  would  suspect  the  character  of 
the  newcomer. 

But  Shirley  could  only  stand,  and  watch,  and  wait. 
Once  he  thought  that  it  might  be  well  for  him  to  jump 
overboard  and  strike  out  to  the  yacht.  If  he  should 
be  seen  by  his  friends— and  this  he  believed  would 
happen— and  if  he  should  be  picked  up,  his  report 
would  turn  back  into  safer  waters  this  peaceful  pleas 
ure  vessel,  with  its  two  ladies  and  its  seven  clergymen. 
If  he  should  be  struck  by  a  ball  in  the  back  of  the 
head  before  he  got  out  of  gunshot  of  the  Durikery1  s 
crew,  then  his  friends  would  most  likely  see  him  sink, 
the  reason  for  their  remaining  in  the  vicinity  of  these 
pirates  would  be  at  an  end,  and  they  might  steam 
northward  as  fast  as  they  pleased. 

The  strange  vessel  came  on  and  on,  and  soon  showed 
herself  to  be  a  steamer  of  about  nine  hundred  tons,  of 
a  model  with  which  Shirley  was  not  familiar,  and  with 

250 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

a  great  many  men  on  board.  The  Durikery  Beacon  lay 
to,  and  it  was  not  long  before  this  stranger  had  fol 
lowed  her  example,  and  had  lowered  a  boat.  When 
three  or  four  men  from  this  boat  had  scrambled  to  the 
deck  of  the  Durikery  Beacon,  they  were  gladly  wel 
comed  by  the  black-headed  fellow  who  had  passed 
himself  off  as  Captain  Hagar,  and  a  most  animated 
conversation  now  took  place.  Shirley  could  not 
understand  anything  that  was  said,  and  he  had  sense 
enough  not  to  appear  to  be  trying  to  do  so ;  but  no 
one  paid  any  attention  to  him,  nor  seemed  to  care 
whether  he  knew  what  was  going  on  or  not. 

At  first  the  manner  of  the  speakers  indicated  that 
they  were  wildly  congratulating  each  other,  but  very 
soon  it  was  evident  that  the  Summer  Shelter  was  the 
subject  of  their  discourse.  They  all  looked  over  at 
the  yacht,  some  of  them  even  shook  their  fists  at  her, 
and  although  Shirley  did  not  understand  their  lan 
guage,  he  knew  very  well  that  curses,  loud  and  sav 
age,  were  pouring  over  the  bulwarks  in  the  direction 
of  his  friends  and  their  yacht. 

Then  the  subject  of  the  conference  changed.  The 
fellows  began  to  gaze  northward ;  a  glass  was  turned 
in  that  direction.  The  exclamations  be  camemore  vio 
lent  than  before,  and  when  Shirley  turned,  he  saw  for 
the  first  time  the  vessel  which  was  coming  down  from 
the  north.  This  vessel  was  now  far  away,  but  she  was 
heading  south,  and  it  could  not  be  long  before  she 
would  arrive  on  the  scene. 

Now  Shirley's  heart  sank  about  as  far  down  as  it 
would  go.  He  had  no  doubt  that  this  very  vessel  was 
another  of  the  pirates.  If  she  carried  a  gun,  even  if 
it  were  not  a  heavy  one,  he  might  as  well  bid  good- 

251 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

by  to  the  Summer  Shelter.      The  pirates  would  not 
allow  her  to  go  to  any  port  to  tell  her  tale. 

The  noisy  conference  now  broke  up.  The  boat  with 
its  crew  returned  to  the  other  vessel,  which  almost 
immediately  started,  turned,  and  steamed  away  to  the 
north,  in  the  direction  of  the  approaching  steamer. 
This  settled  the  matter.  She  was  off  to  join  her  pirate 
consort.  Now  the  Durikery  Beacon  started  her  engines, 
and  steamed  slowly  in  the  direction  of  the  yacht,  as 
if  she  wished  to  hail  her.  Shirley's  heart  rose  a  little. 
If  there  was  to  be  a  parley,  perhaps  the  pirates  had 
decided  to  warn  the  yacht  to  stop  meddling,  and  to 
take  herself  away,  and  if,  by  any  happy  fortune,  it 
should  be  decided  to  send  him  to  his  friends,  he  would 
implore  them,  with  all  his  heart  and  soul,  to  take  the 
advice  without  the  loss  of  a  second. 


252 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

THE  PEOPLE  ON  THE  "MONTEREY " 

THE  vessel  which  had  last  appeared  upon  the  scene, 
and  which  was  now  steaming  down  toward  the  Dun- 
Jcery  Beacon  and  the  Summer  Shelter,  while  the  small 
steamer  from  the  Mediterranean  was  making  her  way 
northward  to  meet  her,  was  the  Monterey  of  Yera  Cruz, 
and  carried  Captain  Philip  Horn  and  his  wife  Edna. 

As  soon  as  Captain  Horn  had  heard  of  the  danger 
which  threatened  the  treasure  which  was  on  its  way 
from  London  to  the  Peruvian  government,— treasure 
which  had  cost  him  such  toil,  anxiety,  and  suffering, 
and  in  the  final  just  disposition  of  which  he  felt  the 
deepest  interest  and  even  responsibility,  although,  in 
fact,  the  care  and  charge  of  it  had  passed  entirely 
out  of  his  hands,— he  determined  not  only  to  write  to 
Shirley  to  go  to  Jamaica,  but  to  go  there  himself  with 
out  loss  of  time,  believing,  from  what  he  had  heard, 
that  he  could  surely  reach  Kingston  before  the  arrival 
there  of  the  Dunkery  Beacon. 

But  that  steamer  started  before  her  time,  and  when 
he  reached  Yera  Cruz,  he  found  it  impossible  to  leave 
immediately  for  his  destination.  And  when  at  last  he 
bought  a  steamer,  and  arrived  at  Kingston,  the  Dun- 

253 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

leery  Beacon  and  the  yacht  Summer  Shelter  had  both 
departed.  But  the  captain  found  the  letter  from  Mrs. 
Cliff,  and  while  this  explained  a  great  deal,  it  also 
puzzled  him  greatly. 

His  wife  and  Mrs.  Cliff  had  corresponded  with  some 
regularity,  but  the  latter  had  never  mentioned  the 
fact  that  she  was  the  owner  of  a  yacht.  Mrs.  Cliff  had 
intended  to  tell  Edna  all  about  this  new  piece  of  prop 
erty,  but  when  she  looked  at  the  matter  from  an  out 
side  point  of  view,  it  seemed  to  her  such  a  ridiculous 
thing  that  she  should  own  a  yacht  that  she  did  not 
want  to  write  anything  about  it  until  her  plans  were 
perfected,  and  she  could  tell  just  what  she  was  going 
to  do.  But  when  she  suddenly  decided  to  sail  for 
Jamaica,  her  mind  was  so  occupied  with  the  plans  of 
the  moment  that  she  had  no  time  to  write. 

Therefore  it  was  that  Captain  and  Mrs.  Horn  won 
dered  greatly  what  in  the  name  of  common  sense  Mrs. 
Cliff  was  doing  with  a  yacht.  But  they  knew  that 
Shirley  and  Burke  were  on  board,  and  that  they  had 
sailed  on  the  track  of  the  Durikery  Beacon,  hoping  to 
overtake  her  and  deliver  the  message  which  Shirley 
carried.  The  captain  decided  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  follow  these  two  vessels  down  the  coast  of  South 
America. 

The  Monterey  was  a  large  steamer  sailing  in  ballast, 
and  of  moderate  speed,  and  the  captain  had  with  him, 
besides  his  wife  and  her  maid,  the  three  negro  men 
whom  he  had  brought  up  from  South  America  (who 
were  now  his  devoted  personal  attendants),  and  a 
good -sized  crew.  Captain  Horn  had  little  hope  of 
overhauling  the  two  steamers,  for  even  the  yacht, 
which  he  had  heard  was  a  fast-sailing  vessel,  had  had 

254 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

twenty -four  hours'  start  of  him  ;  but  he  had  reason  to 
hope  that  he  might  meet  one  or  both  of  them  on  their 
return,  for  if  the  yacht  should  fail  to  overhaul  the 
Durikery  Beacon,  she  would  certainly  turn  back  to 
Kingston. 

Edna  was  as  enthusiastic  and  interested  in  this 
voyage  as  her  husband.  She  sympathized  in  all  his 
anxiety  in  regard  to  the  safety  of  the  treasure,  but 
even  stronger  than  this  was  her  desire  to  see  once 
more  her  dear  friend,  whom  she  had  come  to  look 
upon  almost  as  an  elder  sister. 

During  each  day  the  captain  and  his  wife  were 
almost  constantly  on  deck,  their  glasses  sweeping 
the  southeastern  horizon,  hoping  for  the  sight  of  two 
steamers  coming  back  to  Kingston.  They  saw  vessels 
coming  and  going,  but  they  were  not  the  craft  they 
looked  for,  and  after  they  left  the  Caribbean  Sea  the 
sail  became  fewer  and  fewer.  On  the  second  day  after 
they  left  Tobago  Island  they  fell  in  with  a  small 
steamer  apparently  in  distress,  for  she  was  working 
her  way  under  sail  and  against  head  winds  toward 
the  coast. 

When  the  captain  spoke  this  steamer,  he  received 
a  request  to  lower  a  boat  and  go  on  board  of  her. 
There  he  found  an  astonishing  state  of  affairs.  The 
steamer  was  from  a  French  port,  she  carried  no  cargo, 
and  she  was  commanded  and  manned  by  Captain 
Hagar  and  the  crew  of  the  English  ship  Durikery 
Beacon.  Captain  Hagar's  story  was  not  a  long  one, 
and  he  told  it  as  readily  to  Captain  Horn  as  he  would 
to  any  other  friendly  mariner  who  might  have  boarded 
him. 

He  had  left  Kingston  with  his  vessel,  as  he  had  left  it 
255 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

many  times  before,  and  the  Caribbees  were  not  half  a 
day  behind  him  when  he  was  hailed  by  a  steamer,— 
the  one  he  was  now  on,— which  had  been  following  him 
for  some  time.  He  was  told  that  this  steamer  carried 
a  message  from  his  owners,  and,  without  suspecting 
anything,  he  lay  to,  and  a  boat  came  to  him  from  the 
other  ship.  This  boat  had  in  it  a  good  many  more 
men  than  was  necessary,  but  he  suspected  no  evil 
until  half  a  dozen  men  were  on  his  deck  and  half  a 
dozen  pistols  were  pointed  at  the  heads  of  himself  and 
those  around  him.  Then  two  more  boats  came  over, 
more  men  boarded  him,  and  without  a  struggle,— or 
hardly  a  cross  word,  as  he  expressed  it,— the  Durikery 
Beacon  was  in  the  hands  of  sea-robbers. 

Captain  Hagar  was  a  mild-mannered  man,  an  ex 
cellent  seaman,  and  of  good  common  sense.  He  had 
before  found  orders  waiting  for  him  at  Jamaica,  and 
had  not  thought  it  surprising  that  orders  should  now 
have  been  sent  after  him.  He  had  firearms  on  board, 
and  might  have  defended  himself  to  a  certain  extent, 
but  he  had  suspected  no  evil,  and  when  the  pirates 
had  boarded  him  it  was  useless  to  think  of  arms  or 
defence. 

The  men  who  had  captured  the  Durikery  Beacon 
made  very  short  work  of  their  business.  They  simply 
exchanged  vessels.  They  commanded  Captain  Hagar 
and  all  his  men  to  go  over  to  the  French  steamer, 
while  they  all  came  on  board  the  Durikery  Beacon, 
bringing  with  them  whatever  they  cared  for.  Captain 
Hagar  was  told  that  he  could  work  his  new  vessel  to 
any  port  in  the  world  which  suited  him  best,  and  then 
the  Durikery  Beacon  was  headed  southward  and  steamed 
away. 

256 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

When  Captain  Hagar's  engineers  attempted  to  start 
the  engines  of  their  vessel,  they  found  it  impossible  to 
do  so.  Several  important  pieces  of  the  machinery  had 
been  taken  out,  hoisted  on  deck,  and  dropped  over 
board.  Whatever  port  they  might  make,  they  must 
make  it  under  sail. 

A  broken-hearted  and  dejected  man  was  Captain 
Hagar.  He  had  lost  a  vast  treasure  which  had  been 
intrusted  to  him,  and  he  had  not  ceased  to  wonder 
why  the  pirates  had  not  murdered  him  and  all  his 
crew,  and  thrown  them  overboard.  He  hoped  that  in 
time  he  and  his  men  might  reach  Georgetown,  or  some 
other  port,  but  it  would  be  slow  and  disheartening 
work  under  the  circumstances. 

Captain  Horn  was  also  greatly  cast  down  by  the 
news  he  had  received.  With  the  least  possible  amount 
of  trouble,  the  pirates  had  carried  off,  not  only  the 
treasure,  but  the  ship  which  conveyed  it,  and  now,  in 
all  probability,  were  far  away  with  their  booty.  He 
could  understand  very  well  why  they  would  not 
undertake  such  wholesale  crime  as  the  murder  of  all 
the  people  on  the  Durikery,  for  it  is  probable  that 
there  were  men  among  them  who  could  not  be  trusted, 
even  had  the  leaders  been  willing  to  undertake  such 
useless  bloodshed.  If  Captain  Hagar  and  his  men 
were  set  adrift  on  a  steamer  without  machinery,  it 
would  be  long  before  they  could  reach  any  port,  and 
even  if  they  should  soon  speak  a  vessel  and  report 
their  misfortune,  where  was  the  policeman  of  the  sea 
who  would  have  authority  to  sail  after  the  stolen 
vessel,  or,  if  he  had,  would  know  on  what  course  to 
follow  her? 

Captain  Horn  gave  up  the  treasure  as  lost.  The 
257 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Durikery  Beacon  was  probably  shaping  her  course  for 
the  coast  of  Africa,  and  even  if  he  had  a  swifter  vessel 
and  could  overhaul  her,  what  could  he  do  ? 

But  now  he  almost  forgot  his  trouble  about  the 
treasure,  in  his  deep  concern  in  the  fate  of  Mrs.  Cliff 
and  her  yacht.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  that  his 
friends  on  board  that  little  vessel— he  had  very  shad 
owy  ideas  as  to  what  sort  of  a  yacht  it  was— had 
embarked  upon  this  cruise  entirely  for  his  sake.  They 
knew  that  he  took  a  deep  personal  interest  in  the 
safety  of  the  Durikery  Beacon,  they  knew  that  he  had 
done  everything  possible  to  detain  that  vessel  at 
Jamaica,  and  that  now,  for  his  peace  of  mind,  for  the 
gratification  of  his  feelings  of  honor,— no  matter  how 
exaggerated  they  might  consider  them,— they  were 
following  in  a  little  pleasure  craft  a  steamer  which 
they  supposed  to  be  a  peaceful  merchantman,  but 
which  was  in  fact  a  pirate  ship  manned  by  miscreants 
without  conscience. 

His  plan  was  soon  decided  upon.  He  told  Captain 
Hagar  that  he  would  take  him  and  his  men  on  his 
own  vessel,  and  that  he  would  carry  them  with  him 
on  his  search  for  the  yacht  on  which  his  friends  had 
sailed.  Captain  Hagar  agreed  in  part  to  this  propo 
sition.  He  would  be  glad  to  go  with  Captain  Horn, 
for  it  was  possible  he  might  hear  news  of  his  lost  vessel, 
but  he  did  not  wish  to  give  up  the  French  steamer. 
She  was  worth  money,  and  if  she  could  be  got  into 
port,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  get  her  there.  So  he  left 
on  board  a  crew  sufficient  to  work  her  to  Georgetown, 
and,  with  the  majority  of  his  crew,  came  on  board  the 
Monterey ,  and  Captain  Horn  continued  on  his  southern 
course. 

258 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

"When,  on  the  following  morning,  Captain  Horn  per 
ceived  far  away  to  the  south  a  steamer  which  Captain 
Hagar,  standing  by  with  a  glass  to  his  eye,  declared 
to  be  none  other  than  his  old  vessel,  the  Dunkery 
Beacon,  and  when,  not  long  afterwards,  he  made  out 
a  smaller  vessel,  apparently  keeping  company  with 
the  Dunkery  Beacon,  with  another  steamer  lying  off 
to  the  eastward,  he  was  absolutely  amazed  and  con 
founded.  He  could  not  comprehend  the  state  of 
affairs.  What  was  the  Dunkery  Beacon  doing  down 
south,  when  by  this  time  she  ought  to  be  far  away  to 
the  east,  if  she  were  running  away  with  the  treasure, 
and  what  were  those  two  other  vessels  keeping  so  close: 
to  her? 

He  could  not  imagine  what  they  could  be,  unless, 
indeed,  they  were  her  pirate  consorts.  "If  that's  the 
case,"  thought  Captain  Horn,  but  saying  no  word  to 
any  one,  "this  is  not  a  part  of  the  sea  for  my  wife  to 
sail  upon ! " 

Still,  he  knew  nothing,  and  he  could  decide  upon 
nothing.  He  could  not  be  sure  that  one  of  those  ves 
sels  was  not  the  yacht  which  had  sailed  from  Kingston 
with  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Burke  and  Shirley  on  board.  And 
so  the  Monterey  did  not  turn  back,  but  steamed  on 
slowly  toward  the  distant  steamers. 


259 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  "VITTORIO"   FROM  GENOA 

Captain  Horn  on  the  Monterey  perceived  that 
one  of  the  vessels  he  had  sighted  was  steaming  north 
ward  with  the  apparent  intention  of  meeting  him,  his 
anxieties  greatly  increased.  He  could  think  of  no 
righteous  reason  why  that  vessel  should  come  to  meet 
him.  He  had  made  out  that  this  vessel,  with  the  two 
others,  had  been  lying  to.  Why  should  it  not  wait  for 
him  if  it  wished  to  speak  with  him?  The  course  of 
this  stranger  looked  like  mischief  of  some  sort,  and  the 
captain  could  think  of  no  other  probable  mischief  than 
that  which  had  been  practised  upon  the  Durikery 
Beacon. 

The  steamer  which  he  now  commanded  carried  a 
treasure  far  more  valuable  than  that  which  lay  in  the 
hold  of  the  Durikery,  and  if  she  had  been  a  swifter  vessel 
he  would  have  turned  and  headed  away  for  safety  at 
the  top  of  her  speed.  But  he  did  not  believe  she  could 
outsail  the  steamer  which  was  now  approaching,  and 
safety  by  flight  was  not  to  be  considered. 

There  was  another  reason  which  determined  him 
not  to  change  his  course.  The  observers  on  the  Mon 
terey  had  now  decided  that  the  small  vessel  to  the  west- 

260 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

ward  of  the  Durikery  Beacon  was  very  like  a  yacht, 
and  the  captain  thought  that  if  there  was  to  be  trouble 
of  any  sort,  he  would  like  to  be  as  near  Shirley  and 
Burke  as  possible.  Why  that  rapidly  approaching 
steamer  should  desire  to  board  him  as  the  Durikery 
Beacon  had  been  boarded,  he  could  not  imagine,  unless 
it  was  supposed  that  he  carried  part  of  the  treasure. 
But  he  did  not  waste  any  time  on  conjectures.  It  was 
not  likely  that  this  steamer  carried  a  cannon,  and  if 
she  intended  to  attack  the  Monterey,  it  must  be  by 
boarding  her— probably  by  the  same  stratagem  which 
had  been  practised  before. 

But  Captain  Horn  determined  that  no  man,  upon 
any  mission  whatever,  should  put  his  foot  upon  the 
deck  of  the  Monterey  if  he  could  prevent  ft.  Since  he 
had  taken  on  board  Captain  Hagar  and  his  men,  he 
had  an  extraordinarily  large  crew,  and  on  the  number 
of  his  men  he  depended  for  defence,  for  it  was  im 
possible  to  arm  them  as  well  as  the  attacking  party 
would  probably  be  armed— if  there  should  be  an 
attacking  party. 

Captain  Horn  now  went  to  Edna  and  told  her  of 
the  approaching  danger,  and,  for  the  second  time  in 
his  life,  he  gave  her  a  pistol,  and  requested  her  to  use 
it  in  any  way  she  thought  proper,  if  the  need  should 
come.  He  asked  her  to  stay,  for  the  present,  in  the 
cabin  with  her  maid,  promising  to  come  to  her  again 
very  shortly. 

Then  he  called  all  the  available  men  together,  and 
addressed  them  very  briefly.  It  was  not  necessary  to 
tell  the  crew  of  the  Durikery  Beacon  what  dangers 
might  befall  them  if  the  pirates  should  come  upon 
them  a  second  time,  and  the  men  he  had  brought  with 

261 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

him  from  Vera  Cruz  now  knew  all  about  the  previous 
affair,  and  that  it  would  probably  be  necessary  for 
them  to  stand  up  boldly  for  their  own  defence. 

The  captain  told  his  men  that  the  only  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  keep  the  fellows  on  that  approaching 
steamer  from  boarding  the  Monterey,  whether  they 
tried  to  do  so  by  what  might  look  like  fair  means  or 
by  foul  means.  All  the  firearms  of  every  kind  which 
could  be  collected  were  distributed  around  among 
those  who  it  was  thought  could  best  use  them,  while 
the  rest  of  the  men  were  armed  with  belaying-pins, 
handspikes,  hatchets,  axes,  or  anything  with  which  a 
blow  could  be  struck,  and  they  were  ranged  along  the 
bulwarks  on  each  side  of  the  ship  from  bow  to  stern. 

The  other  steamer  was  now  near  enough  for  her 
name,  Vittorio,  to  be  read  upon  her  bow.  This  and 
her  build  made  the  captain  quite  sure  that  she  was 
from  the  Mediterranean,  and  without  doubt  one  of 
the  pirates  of  whom  he  had  heard.  He  could  see 
heads  all  along  her  rail,  and  he  thought  it  possible 
that  she  might  not  care  to  practise  any  trick  upon 
him,  but  might  intend  a  bold  and  undisguised  attack. 
She  had  made  no  signal,  she  carried  no  colors  or  flag 
of  any  kind,  and  he  thought  it  not  unlikely  that,  when 
she  should  be  near  enough,  she  would  begin  operations 
by  a  volley  of  rifle-shots  from  her  deck.  To  provide 
against  this  danger,  he  made  most  of  his  men  crouch 
down  behind  the  bulwarks,  and  ordered  all  the  others 
to  be  ready  to  screen  themselves.  A  demand  to  lie  to, 
and  a  sharp  fusillade,  might  be  enough  to  insure  the 
immediate  submission  of  an  ordinary  merchantman, 
but  Captain  Horn  did  not  consider  the  Monterey  a 
vessel  of  this  sort. 

262 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

He  now  ran  down  to  Edna,  and  was  met  by  her  at 
the  cabin  door.  She  had  had  ideas  very  like  his  own. 
"I  shouldn't  wonder  if  they  would  fire  upon  us,"  she 
said,  her  face  very  pale,  "and  I  want  you  to  remember 
that  you  are  most  likely  the  tallest  man  on  board. 
No  matter  what  happens,  you  must  take  care  of  your 
self—you  must  never  forget  that ! " 

"I  will  take  care  of  you/'  he  said,  with  his  arms 
about  her,  "and  I  will  not  forget  myself.  And  now 
keep  close,  and  watch  sharply.  I  don't  believe  they 
can  ever  board  us— we're  too  many  for  them  ! " 

The  instant  the  captain  had  gone,  Edna  called  Maka 
and  Cheditafa,  the  two  elderly  negroes  who  were  the 
devoted  adherents  of  herself  and  her  husband.  "I 
want  you  to  watch  the  captain  all  the  time,"  she  said. 
"If  the  people  on  that  ship*  fire  guns,  you  pull  him 
back  if  he  shows  himself.  If  any  one  comes  near  him 
to  harm  him,  use  your  hatchets.  Never  let  him  out  of 
your  sight.  Follow  him  close.  Keep  all  danger  from 
him." 

The  negroes  answered  in  the  African  tongue,— they 
were  too  much  excited  to  use  English,— but  she  knew 
what  they  meant,  and  trusted  them.  To  Mok,  the 
other  negro,  she  gave  no  orders.  Even  now  he  could 
speak  but  little  English,  and  he  was  in  the  party 
simply  because  her  brother  Kalph— whose  servant 
Mok  had  been— had  earnestly  desired  her  to  take  care 
of  him  until  he  should  want  him  again,  for  this  coal- 
black  and  agile  native  of  Africa  was  not  a  creature 
who  could  be  left  to  take  care  of  himself. 

The  Vittorio,  which  was  now  not  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away,  and  which  had  slightly  changed  her 
course,  so  that  she  was  apparently  intending  to  pass 

263 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

the  Monterey,  and  continue  northward  contented  with 
an  observation  of  the  larger  vessel,  was  a  very  dan 
gerous  pirate  ship,  far  more  so  than  the  one  which  had 
captured  the  Durikery  Beacon.  She  was  not  more  dan 
gerous  because  she  was  larger  or  swifter,  or  carried  a 
more  numerous  or  better-armed  crew,  but  for  the 
reason  that  she  had  on  board  a  certain  Mr.  Banker, 
who  had  once  belonged  to  a  famous  band  of  despera 
does  called  the  Eackbirds,  well  known  along  the 
Pacific  coast  of  South  America.  He  had  escaped  de 
struction  when  the  rest  of  his  band  were  drowned  in 
a  raging  torrent,  and  he  had  made  himself  extremely 
obnoxious  and  even  dangerous  to  Mrs.  Horn  and  to 
Captain  Horn,  when  they  were  in  Paris  at  a  very 
critical  time  of  their  fortunes. 

This  ex-Eackbird  Banker  had  had  but  a  very  cloudy 
understanding  of  the  state  of  affairs  when  he  was  en 
deavoring  to  blackmail  Mrs.  Horn,  and  making  stupid 
charges  against  her  husband.  He  knew  that  the  three 
negroes  he  had  met  in  Paris  in  the  service  of  Mrs. 
Horn  had  once  been  his  own  slaves,  held,  not  by  any 
right  of  law,  but  by  brutal  force,  and  he  knew  that 
the  people  with  whom  they  were  then  travelling  must 
have  been  in  some  way  connected  with  his  old  com 
rades,  the  Eackbirds.  He  had  made  bold  attempts  to 
turn  this  scanty  knowledge  to  his  own  benefit,  but  had 
mournfully  failed. 

In  the  course  of  time,  however,  he  had  come  to 
know  everything.  The  news  of  Captain  Horns'  great 
discovery  of  treasure  on  the  coast  of  Peru  had  gone 
forth  to  the  public,  and  Banker's  soul  had  writhed  in 
disappointed  rage  as  he  thought  that  he  and  his  fel 
lows  had  lived  and  rioted  like  fools,  for  months  and 

264 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

months  and  months,  but  a  short  distance  from  all 
these  vast  hoards  of  gold.  This  knowledge  almost 
maddened  him  as  he  brooded  over  it  by  night  and  by 
day.  When  he  had  been  set  free  from  the  French 
prison  to  which  his  knavery  had  consigned  him, 
Banker  gave  himself  up,  body  and  soul,  to  the  con 
sideration  of  the  treasure  which  Captain  Horn  had 
brought  to  France  from  Peru.  He  considered  it  from 
every  possible  point  of  view,  and  when  at  last  he 
heard  of  the  final  disposition  which  it  had  been  deter 
mined  to  make  of  the  gold,  he  considered  it  from  the 
point  of  his  own  cupidity  and  innate  rascality. 

He  it  was  who  devised  the  plan  of  sending  out  a 
swift  steamer  to  overhaul  the  merchantman  which  was 
to  carry  the  gold  to  Peru,  and  who,  after  consultation 
with  the  many  miscreants  whom  he  was  obliged  to  take 
into  his  confidence  and  to  depend  upon  for  assistance, 
decided  that  it  would  be  well  to  fit  out  two  ships,  so 
that  if  one  should  fail  in  her  errand,  the  other  might 
succeed.  The  steamers  from  Genoa  and  Toulon  were 
fitted  out  and  manned  under  the  direction  of  Banker, 
but  with  the  one  which  sailed  from  Marseilles  he  had 
nothing  to  do.  This  expedition  was  organized  by  men 
who  had  quarrelled  with  him  and  his  associates,  and 
it  was  through  the  dissension  of  the  opposing  parties 
in  this  intended  piracy  that  the  detectives  came  to 
know  of  it. 

Banker  had  sailed  from  Genoa,  but  the  Toulon 
vessel  had  got  ahead  of  him.  It  had  sighted  the  Dun- 
Tcery  Beacon  before  she  reached  Kingston.  It  had 
cruised  in  the  Caribbean  Sea  until  she  came  sailing 
down  toward  Tobago  Island.  It  had  followed  her  out 
into  the  Atlantic,  and  when  the  proper  time  came 

265 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 

it  had  taken  her— hull,  engine,  gold,  and  everything 
which  belonged  to  her,  except  her  captain  and  her 
crew— and  had  steamed  away  with  her. 

Banker  did  not  command  the  Vittorio,  for  he  was 
not  a  seaman,  but  he  commanded  her  captain,  and, 
through  him,  everybody  on  board.  He  directed  her 
course  and  her  policy.  He  was  her  leading  spirit  and 
her  blackest  devil. 

It  had  been  no  part  of  Banker's  intentions  to  cruise 
about  the  South  Atlantic  and  search  for  a  steamer 
with  black  and  white  stripes  running  up  and  down 
her  funnel.  His  plan  of  action  was  to  be  the  same  as 
that  of  the  other  pirate,  and  the  Vittorio  therefore 
steamed  for  Kingston  as  soon  as  she  could  manage  to 
clear  from  Genoa.  His  calculations  were  very  good 
ones,  but  there  was  a  flaw  in  them,  for  he  did  not 
know  that  the  Durikery  Beacon  sailed  three  days  be 
fore  her  regular  time.  Consequently,  the  Vittorio  was 
the  last  of  the  four  steamers  which  reached  Jamaica 
on  business  connected  with  the  Incas'  treasure. 

The  Vittorio  did  not  go  into  Kingston  harbor,  but 
Banker  got  himself  put  on  shore  and  visited  the  town. 
There  he  not  only  discovered  that  the  Durikery  Beacon 
had  sailed,  and  that  an  American  yacht  had  sailed  after 
her,  but  that  a  steamer  from  Yera  Cruz,  commanded 
by  Captain  Horn,  now  well  known  as  the  discoverer 
of  the  wonderful  treasure,  had  touched  here,  expect 
ing  to  find  the  Durikery  Beacon  in  port,  and  had  then, 
scarcely  twelve  hours  before,  cleared  for  Jamaica. 

The  American  yacht  was  a  mystery  to  Banker.  It 
might  be  a  pirate  from  the  United  States,  for  all  he 
knew.  But  he  was  very  certain  that  Captain  Horn  had 
not  left  Kingston  for  any  reason  except  to  accompany 

266 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

and  protect  the  Durikery  Beacon.  If  a  steamer  com 
manded  by  this  man,  whom  Banker  now  hated  more 
than  he  hated  anybody  else  in  the  world,  should  fall 
in  and  keep  company  with  the  steamer  which  was 
conveying  the  treasure  to  Peru,  it  might  be  a  very 
hard  piece  of  work  for  him  or  his  partner  in  command 
of  the  vessel  from  Toulon  to  get  possession  of  that 
treasure,  no  matter  what  means  they  might  employ, 
but  all  Banker  could  do  was  to  swear  at  his  arch 
enemy  and  his  bad  luck,  and  to  get  away  south  with 
all  speed  possible.  If  he  could  do  nothing,  he  might 
hear  of  something.  He  would  never  give  up  until  he 
was  positive  there  was  no  chance  for  him. 

So  he  took  the  course  that  the  Durikery  Beacon  must 
have  taken,  and  sailed  down  the  coast  under  full  head 
of  steam.  When  at  last  he  discovered  the  flag  of  his 
private  consort  hoisted  over  the  steamer  which  carried 
the  golden  prize,  and  had  gone  on  board  the  Durikery 
Beacon  and  had  heard  everything,  his  Satanic  delight 
blazed  high  and  wild.  He  cared  nothing  for  the  yacht 
which  hung  upon  the  heels  of  the  captured  steamer, 
—it  would  not  be  difficult  to  dispose  of  that  vessel,— 
but  his  turbulent  ecstasies  were  a  little  dampened  by 
the  discovery  of  a  large  steamer  bearing  down  from 
the  north.  This  he  instantly  suspected  to  be  the 
Monterey,  which  must  have  taken  a  more  westerly 
course  than  that  which  he  had  followed,  and  which 
he  had  therefore  passed  without  sighting. 

The  ex-Kackbird  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  as  to 
what  ought  to  be  done.  That  everlastingly  con 
demned  meddler,  Horn,  must  never  be  allowed  to  put 
his  oar  into  this  business.  If  he  were  not  content  with 
the  gold  which  he  had  for  himself,  he  should  curse  the 

267 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

day  that  lie  had  tried  to  keep  other  people  from  get 
ting  the  gold  that  they  wanted  for  themselves.  No 
matter  what  had  to  be  done,  he  must  never  reach  the 
Dunkery  Beacon— he  must  never  know  what  had  hap 
pened  to  her.  Here  was  a  piece  of  work  for  the  Vit- 
torio  to  attend  to  without  the  loss  of  a  minute. 

When  Banker  gave  orders  to  head  for  the  ap 
proaching  steamer  he  immediately  began  to  make 
ready  for  an  attack  upon  her,  and  as  this  was  to  be  a 
battle  between  merchant  ships,  neither  of  them  pro 
vided  with  any  of  the  ordinary  engines  of  naval  war 
fare,  his  plan  was  of  a  straightforward,  old-fashioned 
kind.  He  would  run  his  ship  alongside  the  other,  he 
would  make  fast,  and  then  his  men,  each  one  with  a 
cutlass  and  a  pistol,  should  swarm  over  the  side  of  the 
larger  vessel,  and  cut  down  and  fire  until  the  beastly 
hounds  were  all  dead  or  on  their  knees.  If  he  caught 
sight  of  Captain  Horn,— and  he  was  sure  he  would 
recognize  him,  for  such  a  fellow  would  be  sure  to  push 
himself  forward,  no  matter  what  was  going  on,— he 
would  take  his  business  into  his  own  hands.  He  would 
give  no  signal,  no  warning.  If  they  wanted  to  know 
what  he  came  for,  they  would  soon  find  out. 

Before  he  left  Genoa  he  had  thought  that  it  was 
possible  that  he  might  make  this  sort  of  an  attack 
upon  the  Dunkery  Beacon,  and  he  had  therefore  pro 
vided  for  it.  He  had  shipped  a  number  of  grappling- 
irons  with  long  chains  attached,  which  were  run 
through  ring-bolts  on  his  deck.  With  these  and 
other  appliances  for  making  fast  to  a  vessel  alongside, 
Banker  was  sure  he  could  stick  to  an  enemy  or  a 
prize  as  long  as  he  wanted  to  lie  by  her. 

Everything  was  now  made  ready  for  the  proposed 
268 


MRS.   CLIFF'S  YACHT 

attack,  and  all  along  the  starboard  side  of  the  Vittorio 
mattresses  were  hung  in  order  to  break  the  force  of 
the  shock  when  the  two  vessels  should  come  together. 
Every  man  who  could  be  spared  was  ordered  on  deck, 
and  fully  armed.  The  men  who  were  to  make  fast  to 
the  other  steamer  were  posted  in  their  proper  places, 
and  the  rest  of  his  miscreants  were  given  the  very 
simple  orders  to  get  on  board  the  Monterey  the  best 
way  they  could,  and  as  soon  as  they  could,  and  to  cut 
down  or  shoot  every  man  they  met,  without  asking 
questions  or  saying  a  word.  Whether  or  not  it  would 
be  necessary  to  dispose  of  all  the  crew  which  Captain 
Horn  might  have  on  board,  Banker  had  not  deter 
mined.  But  of  one  thing  he  was  certain :  he  would 
leave  no  one  on  board  of  her  to  work  her  to  the  nearest 
port  and  give  news  of  what  had  happened.  One  mis 
take  of  that  kind  was  enough  to  make,  and  his  stupid 
partner,  who  had  commanded  the  vessel  from  Toulon, 
had  made  it. 


269 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  MERCHANT  SHIPS 

WHEN  the  Vittorio  showed  that  in  veering  away  from 
the  Monterey  she  had  done  so  only  in  order  to  make  a 
sweep  around  to  the  west,  and  when  she  had  headed 
south,  and  the  mattresses  lowered  along  her  starboard 
side  showed  plainly  to  Captain  Horn  that  she  was 
about  to  attack  him,  and  how  she  was  going  to  do  it, 
his  first  thought  was  to  embarrass  her  by  reversing 
his  course  and  steering  this  way  and  that.  But  he 
instantly  dismissed  this  idea.  The  pirate  vessel  was 
smaller  and  faster  than  his  own,  and  probably  much 
more  easily  managed,  and,  apart  from  the  danger  of  a 
collision  fatal  to  his  ship,  he  would  only  protract  the 
conflict  by  trying  to  elude  her.  He  was  so  sure  that 
he  had  men  enough  to  beat  down  the  scoundrels  when 
they  tried  to  board  that  he  thought  the  quicker  the 
fight  began,  the  better.  If  only  he  had  Shirley  and 
Burke  with  him  !  he  thought.  But  although  they  were 
not  here,  he  had  Edna  to  fight  for,  and  that  made 
three  men  of  himself. 

With  most  of  his  men  crouching  behind  his  port 
bulwarks,  and  others  protected  by  deck-houses,  smoke 
stack,  and  any  other  available  devices  against  gun- 

270 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

shots,  Captain  Horn  awaited  the  coming  of  the  pirate 
steamer,  which  was  steaming  toward  him  as  if  it  in 
tended  to  run  him  down.  As  she  came  near,  the  Vit- 
torio  slowed  up,  and  the  Monterey  veered  to  starboard ; 
but  notwithstanding  this  precaution,  and  the  fact  that 
they  sailed  side  by  side  for  nearly  a  minute  without 
touching,  the  two  vessels  came  together  with  such 
force  that  the  Monterey,  high  out  of  water,  rolled  over 
as  if  a  great  wave  had  struck  her.  As  she  rolled  back, 
grappling-irons  were  thrown  over  her  rail,  and  cables 
and  lines  were  made  fast  to  every  available  place 
which  could  be  reached  by  eager  hands  and  active 
arms.  Some  of  the  grappling-irons  were  immediately 
thrown  off  by  the  crew  of  the  Monterey,  but  the  chains 
of  others  had  been  so  tightened  as  the  vessel  rolled 
back  to  an  even  keel  that  it  was  impossible  to  move 
them. 

The  Monterey's  rail  was  considerably  higher  than 
that  of  the  Vittorio,  and  as  none  of  the  crew  of  the 
former  vessel  had  shown  themselves,  no  shots  had  yet 
been  fired,  but,  with  the  activity  of  apes,  the  pirates 
tried  to  scramble  over  the  side  of  the  larger  vessel. 
Now  followed  a  furious  hand-to-hand  combat.  Blows 
rained  down  on  the  heads  and  shoulders  of  the  assail 
ants,  some  of  whom  dropped  back  to  the  deck  of  their 
ship,  while  others  drew  their  pistols  and  fired  right 
and  left  at  the  heads  and  arms  they  saw  over  the  rail 
of  the  Monterey. 

The  pirate  leaders  were  amazed  at  the  resistance 
they  met  with.  They  had  not  imagined  that  Captain 
Horn  had  so  large  a  crew,  or  that  it  was  a  crew  which 
would  fight.  But  these  pirates  had  their  blood  up, 
and  not  one  of  them  had  any  thought  of  giving  up 

271 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

their  enterprise  on  account  of  this  unexpected  resist 
ance.  Dozens  of  them  at  a  time  sprang  upon  the  rail 
of  their  own  vessel,  and,  with  cutlass  or  pistol  in  one 
hand,  endeavored  to  scramble  up  the  side  of  the  Mon 
terey.  But  although  the  few  who  succeeded  in  crossing 
her  bulwarks  soon  fell  beneath  the  blows  and  shots  of 
her  crew,  the  attack  was  vigorously  kept  up,  especially 
by  pistol-shots. 

Whenever  there  was  a  chance,  a  pirate  hand  would 
be  raised  above  the  rail  of  the  Monterey  and  a  revolver 
discharged,  and  every  few  minutes  there  would  be 
a  rush  to  one  point  or  another,  and  a  desperate  fight 
upon  the  rail.  The  engines  of  both  vessels  had  been 
stopped,  and  the  screaming  and  roaring  of  the  escap 
ing  steam  gave  additional  horror  to  this  fearful  battle. 
Not  a  word  could  be  heard  from  any  one,  no  matter 
how  loudly  it  might  be  shouted. 

Whatever  firearms  were  possessed  by  the  men  on 
the  Monterey  were  used  with  good  effect,  but  in  this 
respect  they  were  vastly  inferior  to  the  enemy.  When 
they  had  fired  their  pistols  and  their  guns,  some  of 
them  had  no  more  ammunition,  and  others  had  no 
opportunity  to  reload.  The  men  of  the  Vittorio  had 
firearms  in  abundance  and  pockets  full  of  cartridges. 
Consequently  it  was  not  long  before  Captain  Horn's 
men  were  obliged  to  rely  upon  their  hatchets,  their 
handspikes,  their  belaying-pins,  and  their  numbers. 

Banker  was  in  a  very  furious  state  of  mind.  He 
had  expected  to  board  the  Monterey  without  opposi 
tion,  and  now  he  had  been  fighting  long  and  hard,  and 
not  a  man  of  his  crew  was  on  board  the  other  vessel. 
He  had  soon  discovered  that  there  were  a  great  many 
men  on  board  the  Monterey^  but  he  believed  that  the 

272 


MRS.  CLIFFS   YACHT 

real  reason  for  the  so  far  successful  resistance  was  the 
fact  that  Captain  Horn  commanded  them. 

Several  times  he  mounted  the  upper  deck  of  the 
VittoriOj  and,  with  a  rifle  in  hand,  endeavored  to  get  a 
chance  to  aim  at  the  tall  figure  of  which  he  now  and 
then  caught  sight,  and  who  he  saw  was  directing  every 
thing  that  was  going  on.  But  every  time  he  stood  out 
with  his  rifle,  a  pistol-ball  whizzed  by  him  and  made 
him  jump  back.  Whoever  fired  at  him  was  not  a  good 
shot,  but  Banker  did  not  wish  to  expose  himself  to  any 
kind  of  a  shot.  Once  he  got  a  chance  of  taking  aim  at 
the  captain  from  behind  the  smoke-stack,  but  at  that 
moment  the  captain  stepped  back  hurriedly  out  of 
view,  as  if  somebody  had  been  pulling  him  by  the 
coat,  and  a  ball  rang  against  the  funnel  high  above  his 
own  head.  It  was  plain  he  was  watched,  and  he  would 
not  expose  himself. 

But  that  devil  Horn  must  be  killed,  and  he  swore 
between  his  grinding  teeth  that  he  himself  would  do 
it.  His  men,  many  of  them  with  bloody  heads,  were 
still  fighting,  swearing,  climbing,  and  firing.  None  of 
them  had  been  killed,  except  those  who  had  gained 
the  deck  of  the  other  vessel,  but  Banker  did  not  be 
lieve  that  they  would  be  able  to  board  the  Monterey 
until  its  captain  had  been  disposed  of.  If  he  could 
put  a  ball  into  that  fellow,  the  fight  would  be  over. 

Banker  now  determined  to  lead  'a  fresh  attack,  in 
stead  of  simply  ordering  one.  If  he  could  call  to  his 
men  from  the  deck  of  the  Monterey,  they  would  follow 
him.  The  Vittorio  lay  so  that  her  bow  was  somewhat 
forward  of  that  of  the  Monterey ,  and  as  the  rails  at  the 
bows  of  the  two  vessels  were  some  distance  apart,  there 
was  no  fighting  forward.  The  long  boom  of  the  fore- 

273 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

mast  of  the  ViUorio  stretched  over  her  upper  deck, 
and,  crouching  low,  Banker  cut  all  the  lines  which 
secured  it.  Then,  with  a  quick  run,  he  seized  the  long 
spar  near  its  outer  end,  and  thus  swinging  it  out  until 
it  struck  the  shrouds,  he  found  himself  dangling  over 
the  forward  deck  of  the  Monterey,  upon  which  he 
quickly  dropped. 

It  so  happened  that  the  fight  was  now  raging  aft, 
and  for  a  moment  Banker  stood  alone,  looking  about 
him.  He  believed  his  rapid  transit  through  the  air 
had  not  been  noticed.  He  would  not  call  upon  his 
men  to  follow,  as  he  had  intended.  Without  much 
fear  of  detection,  he  would  slip  quietly  behind  the  crew 
of  the  Monterey,  and  take  a  shot  at  Captain  Horn  the 
moment  he  laid  eyes  on  him.  Then  he  could  shout 
out  to  his  men  to  some  purpose. 

Banker  moved  on  a  few  steps,— not  too  cautiously, 
for  he  did  not  wish  to  provoke  suspicion,— when  sud 
denly  a  hand  was  placed  upon  his  chest.  There  was 
nobody  in  front  of  him,  but  there  was  the  hand,  and  a 
very  big  one  it  was,  and  very  black.  Like  a  flash 
Banker  turned,  and  beheld  himself  face  to  face  with 
the  man  Mok,  the  same  chimpanzee-like  negro  who 
had  been  his  slave,  and  with  whom  in  the  streets  of 
Paris  he  had  once  had  a  terrible  struggle,  which  had 
resulted  in  his  capture  by  the  police  and  his  imprison 
ment.  Here  was  that  same  black  devil  again,  his  arms 
about  him  as  if  they  had  been  chain- cables  on  a 
windlass. 

Banker  had  two  pistols,  but  he  had  put  them  in  his 
pockets  when  he  made  his  swing  upon  the  boom,  and 
he  had  not  yet  drawn  them,  and  now  his  arms  were 
held  so  tightly  to  his  sides  that  he  could  not  get  at  his 

274 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

weapons.  There  was  no  one  near.  Banker  was  wise 
enough  not  to  call  out  or  even  to  swear  an  oath,  and 
Mok  had  apparently  relapsed  into  the  condition  of 
the  speechless  savage  beast.  With  a  wrench  which 
might  have  torn  an  ordinary  limb  from  its  socket, 
Banker  freed  his  left  arm,  but  a  black  hand  had 
grasped  it  before  he  could  reach  his  pistol. 

Then  there  was  a  struggle— quick,  hard,  silent,  and 
furious,  as  if  two  great  cobras  were  writhing  together, 
seeking  each  other's  death.  Mok  was  not  armed. 
Banker  could  not  use  knife  or  pistol.  They  stumbled, 
they  went  down  on  their  knees,  they  rose  and  fell  to 
gether  against  the  rail.  Instantly  Banker,  with  his 
left  arm  and  the  strength  of  his  whole  body,  raised 
the  negro  to  the  rail  and  pushed  him  outward.  The 
action  was  so  sudden,  the  effort  of  the  maddened 
pirate  was  so  great,  that  Mok  could  not  resist  it— he 
went  over  the  side.  But  his  hold  upon  Banker  did 
not  relax  even  in  the  moment  when  he  felt  himself 
falling,  and  his  weight  was  so  great,  and  the  impetus 
was  so  tremendous,  that  Banker  could  not  hold  back, 
and  followed  him  over  the  rail.  Still  clutching  each 
other  tightly,  the  two  disappeared  with  a  splash  into 
the  sea. 

Fears  were  beginning  to  steal  into  the  valiant  heart 
of  Captain  Horn.  The  pirates  were  so  well  armed, 
they  kept  up  such  a  savage  fire  upon  his  decks,  that 
although  their  shots  were  sent  at  random,  several  men 
had  been  killed,  and  others— he  knew  not  how  many 
—wounded,  and  he  feared  his  crew,  ordinary  sailors 
and  not  accustomed  to  such  savage  work  as  this,  might 
consider  the  contest  too  unequal,  and  so  lose  heart. 
If  that  should  be  the  case,  the  affair  would  be  finished. 

275 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

But  there  was  still  one  means  of  defence  on  which 
he  thought  he  might  rely  to  drive  off  the  scoundrels. 
The  Monterey  had  been  a  cotton-ship,  and  she  was 
provided  with  hose  by  which  steam  could  be  thrown 
upon  her  cargo  in  case  of  fire,  and  Captain  Hagar  had 
undertaken  to  try  to  get  this  into  condition  to  use 
upon  the  scoundrels  who  were  endeavoring  to  board 
the  vessel.  By  this  time  two  heavy  lines  of  hose  had 
been  rigged  and  attached  to  the  boiler,  and  the  other 
ends  brought  out  on  deck,  one  forward  and  the  other 
amidships. 

Captain  Hagar  was  a  quiet  man,  and  in  no  way  a 
fighter,  but  now  he  seemed  imbued  with  a  reckless 
courage,  and,  without  thinking  of  the  danger  of  ex 
posing  himself  to  pistol  or  to  rifle,  he  laid  the  nozle 
of  his  hose  over  the  rail  and  directed  it  down  upon  the 
deck  below.  As  soon  as  the  hot  steam  began  to  pour 
upon  the  astonished  pirates,  there  were  yells  and  ex 
ecrations,  and  when  another  scalding  jet  came  in  upon 
them  over  the  forward  bulwarks  of  the  Monterey,  the 
confusion  became  greater  on  the  pirate  ship. 

It  was  at  this  moment,  as  Edna,  her  face  pale  and 
her  bright  eyes  fixed  upon  the  upper  deck  of  the 
Vittorio,  stood  with  a  revolver  in  her  hand  at  the  win 
dow  of  her  cabin,  which  was  on  deck,  that  her  Swedish 
maid,  trembling  so  much  that  she  could  scarcely  stand, 
approached  her  and  gave  her  notice  that  she  must  quit 
her  service.  Edna  did  not  hear  what  she  said.  "Are 
you  there?"  she  cried.  "Look  out— tell  me  if  you 
can  see  Captain  Horn  ! " 

The  frightened  girl,  scarcely  knowing  what  she  did, 
rushed  from  the  cabin  to  look  for  Captain  Horn,  not 
so  much  because  her  mistress  wanted  information  of 

276 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

him  as  because  she  thought  to  throw  herself  upon  his 
protection.  She  believed  that  the  captain  could  do 
anything  for  anybody,  and  she  ran  madly  along  the 
deck  on  the  other  side  from  that  on  which  the  battle 
was  raging,  and,  meeting  no  one,  did  not  stop  until  she 
had  nearly  reached  the  bow.  Then  she  halted,  looked 
about  her,  and  in  a  moment  was  startled  by  hearing 
herself  called  by  her  name.  There  was  no  one  near 
her.  She  looked  up,  she  looked  around. 

Then  again  she  heard  her  name :  "Sophee !  So- 
phee ! "  Now  it  seemed  to  come  from  the  water,  and 
looking  over  the  low  rail,  she  beheld  a  black  head  on 
the  surface  of  the  sea.  Its  owner  was  swimming  about, 
endeavoring  to  find  something  on  which  he  could  lay 
hold,  and  he  had  seen  the  white  cap  of  the  maid  above 
the  ship's  side.  Sophia  and  Mok  were  very  good 
friends,  for  the  latter  had  always  been  glad  to  wait 
upon  her  in  every  way  possible,  and  now  she  forgot 
her  own  danger  in  her  solicitude  for  the  poor  black 
man. 

"Oh,  Mok,  Mok!"  she  cried,  "can't  you  get  out  of 
the  water  ?  Can  I  help  you  ?  " 

Mok  shouted  out  one  of  his  few  English  words. 
"Eope !  rope ! "  he  said.  But  Sophia  could  see  no 
rope  except  those  which  were  fast  to  something,  and 
in  her  terror  she  ran  aft  to  call  for  assistance. 

There  was  now  not  so  much  noise  and  din.  The 
steam  was  not  escaping  from  the  boilers  of  the  Mon 
terey,  for  it  was  needed  for  the  hose,  and  there  were 
no  more  shots  fired  from  the  Vittorio.  The  officers  of 
the  pirate  ship  were  running  here  and  there  looking 
for  Banker,  that  they  might  ask  for  orders,  while  the 
men  were  crowding  together  behind  every  possible 

277 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

protection,  and  rushing  below  to  escape  the  terrible 
streams  of  scalding  steam. 

]S"ow  that  they  could  work  in  safety,  the  Monterey's 
men  got  their  handspikes  under  the  grappling-irons, 
and  wrenched  them  from  their  holes,  and  leaning  over 
the  side,  they  cut  the  ropes  which  held  them  to  the 
pirate  ship.  The  two  vessels  now  swung  apart,  and 
Captain  Horn  was  on  the  point  of  giving  orders  to 
start  the  engines  and  steam  ahead,  when  the  maid 
Sophia  seized  him  by  the  arm.  "Mrs.  Horn  wants 
you,"  she  said,  "and  Mok's  in  the  water ! " 

"Mok  !  "  exclaimed  the  captain. 

"Yes,  here  !  here  ! "  cried  Sophia,  and  running  to 
the  side,  she  pointed  to  where  Mok's  black  head  and 
waving  arms  were  still  circling  about  on  the  surface 
of  the  sea. 

When  a  rope  had  been  cast  to  Mok,  and  he  had 
been  hauled  up  the  side,  the  captain  gave  orders  to 
start  ahead,  and  rushed  to  the  cabin  where  he  had  left 
Edna ;  but  it  was  not  during  that  brief  interval  of 
thankfulness  that  he  heard  how  she  had  recognized 
the  Backbird  Banker  on  the  pirate  ship,  and  how  she 
had  fired  at  him  every  time  he  had  shown  himself. 

The  Monterey  started  southward  toward  the  [point 
where  they  had  last  seen  the  yacht  and  the  Durikery 
Beacon,  and  the  pirate  ship,  veering  off  to  the  south 
east,  steamed  slowly  away.  The  people  on  board  of 
her  were  looking  everywhere  for  Banker,  for  without 
him  they  knew  not  what  they  ought  to  do.  But  if  their 
leader  ever  came  up  from  the  great  depth  to  which  he 
had  sunk  with  Mok's  black  hands  upon  his  throat,  his 
comrades  were  not  near  the  spot  where,  dead  or  alive, 
he  floated  to  the  surface. 

278 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

"SHE  BACKED  ! " 

WHEN  Captain  Burke  observed  the  Durikery  Beacon 
steaming  in  his  direction,  and  soon  afterwards  per 
ceived  a  signal  on  this  steamer  to  the  effect  that  she 
wished  to  speak  with  the  yacht,  he  began  to  hope  that 
he  was  going  to  get  out  of  his  difficulties.  The  natural 
surmise  was  that  as  one  of  the  pirates  had  gone  to  join 
another  just  arriving  upon  the  scene,  the  Dunkery 
Beacon— the  captain  and  crew  of  which  must  have 
turned  traitors— was  now  coming  to  propose  some 
arrangement,  probably  to  give  up  Shirley  if  the  yacht 
would  agree  to  go  its  way  and  cease  its  harassing 
interference. 

If  this  proposition  should  be  made,  Burke  and  Mrs. 
Cliff,  in  conference,  decided  to  accept  it.  They  had 
done  all  they  could,  and  would  return  to  Kingston  to 
report  to  Captain  Horn  what  they  had  done,  and  what 
they  had  discovered.  But  it  was  not  long  before  the 
people  on  the  yacht  began  to  wonder  very  much  at  the 
conduct  of  the  great  steamer  which  was  now  rapidly 
approaching  them,  apparently  under  full  head  of 
steam. 

The  yacht  was  lying  to,  her  engines  motionless,  and 
279 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

the  Durikery  Beacon  was  coining  ahead  like  a  furious 
ram,  on  a  course  which,  if  not  quickly  changed,  would 
cause  her  to  strike  the  smaller  vessel  almost  amidships. 
It  became  plainer  and  plainer  every  second  that  the 
Durikery  did  not  intend  to  change  her  course,  and  that 
her  object  was  to  run  down  the  yacht. 

Why  the  Durikery  Beacon  should  wish  to  ram  the 
Summer  Shelter  nobody  on  board  the  yacht  considered 
for  a  moment,  but  every  one,  even  Willy  Croup,  per 
ceived  the  immediate  necessity  of  getting  out  of  the 
way.  Burke  sprang  to  the  wheel,  and  began  to  roar 
his  orders  in  every  direction.  His  object  was  to  put 
the  yacht  around,  so  that  he  could  get  out  of  the  course 
of  the  Durikery  Beacon,  and  pass  her  in  the  opposite 
direction  to  which  she  was  going.  But  nobody  on  board 
seemed  to  be  sufficiently  alive  to  the  threatening  situa 
tion,  or  to  be  alert  enough  to  do  what  was  ordered  at 
the  very  instant  of  command  j  and  Burke,  excited  to 
the  highest  pitch,  began  to  swear  after  a  fashion  en 
tirely  unknown  to  the  two  ladies  and  the  members  of 
the  Synod.  His  cursing  and  swearing  was  of  such  a 
cyclonic  and  all-pervading  character  that  some  of 
those  on  board  shuddered  almost  as  much  on  account 
of  his  language  as  for  fear  of  the  terrible  crash  which 
was  impending. 

"This  is  dreadful ! "  said  one  of  the  clergymen, 
advancing  as  if  he  would  mount  to  the  pilot-house. 

"Stop  ! "  said  Mr.  Arbuckle,  excitedly  placing  his 
hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  other.  "Don't  inter 
fere  at  such  a  moment.  The  ship  must  be  managed.'7 

In  a  very  short  time,  although  it  seemed  like  long, 
weary  minutes  to  the  people  on  the  yacht,  her  engines 
moved,  her  screw  revolved,  and  she  slowly  moved 

280 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

around  to  leeward.  If  she  could  have  done  this  half  a 
minute  sooner,  she  would  have  steamed  out  of  the 
course  of  the  Durikery  Beacon  so  that  that  vessel  must 
have  passed  her,  but  she  did  not  do  it  soon  enough. 
The  large  steamer  came  on  at  what  seemed  amazing 
speed,  and  would  have  struck  the  yacht  a  little  abaft 
the  bow,  had  not  Burke,  seeing  that  a  collision  could 
not  be  avoided,  quickly  reversed  his  helm.  Almost  in 
the  next  second  the  two  vessels  came  together,  but  it 
was  the  stem  of  the  yacht  which  struck  the  larger 
steamer  abaft  the  bow. 

The  shock  to  the  Summer  Shelter  was  terrific,  and 
having  but  little  headway  at  the  moment  of  collision, 
she  was  driven  backward  by  the  tremendous  momen 
tum  of  the  larger  vessel  as  if  she  had  been  a  ball  struck 
by  a  bat.  Every  person  on  board  was  thrown  down 
and  hurled  forward.  Mrs.  Cliff  extended  herself  flat 
upon  the  deck,  her  arms  outspread ;  and  every  clergy 
man  was  stretched  out  at  full  length  or  curled  up 
against  some  obstacle.  The  engineer  had  been  thrown 
among  his  levers  and  cranks,  bruising  himself  badly 
about  the  head  and  shoulders,  while  his  assistant  and 
Mr.  Hodgson,  who  were  at  work  below,  were  jammed 
among  the  ashes  of  the  furnace  as  if  they  were  trying 
to  stop  the  draught  with  their  bodies.  Mr.  Burdette 
was  on  the  forward  deck,  and,  if  he  had  not  tripped 
and  fallen,  would  probably  have  been  shot  overboard  ; 
and  the  sailing-master  was  thrown  against  the  smoke 
stack  with  such  violence  that  for  a  few  moments  he 
was  insensible. 

Burke,  who  was  at  the  wheel,  saw  what  was  coming, 
and  tried  to  brace  himself  so  that  he  should  not  be 
impaled  upon  one  of  the  handles  j  but  the  shock  was 

281 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

too  much  for  him,  and  he  pitched  forward  with  such 
force  that  he  came  near  going  over  the  wheel  and  out 
of  the  window  of  the  pilot-house.  As  soon  as  Captain 
Burke  could  recover  himself,  he  scrambled  back  to  his 
position  behind  the  wheel.  He  had  been  dazed  and 
bruised,  but  his  senses  quickly  came  to  him,  and  he 
comprehended  the  present  condition  of  affairs. 

The  yacht  had  not  only  been  forced  violently  back 
ward,  but  had  been  veered  around  so  that  it  now  lay 
with  its  broadside  toward  the  bow  of  the  other 
steamer.  In  some  way,  either  unwittingly  by  the  en 
gineer  or  by  the  violence  of  the  shock,  her  engine  had 
been  stopped,  and  she  was  without  motion,  except  the 
slight  pitching  and  rolling  occasioned  by  the  collision. 
The  Durikery  Beacon  was  not  far  away,  and  Burke  saw, 
to  his  horror,  that  she  was  again  moving  forward.  She 
was  coming  slowly,  but  if  she  reached  the  yacht  in  the 
latter's  present  position,  she  would  have  weight  and 
force  enough  to  turn  over  the  smaller  vessel. 

Immediately  Burke  attempted  to  give  the  order  to 
back  the  yacht.  The  instant  performance  of  this  order 
was  the  only  chance  of  safety.  But  he  had  been  thrown 
against  the  speaking-tube  with  such  violence  that  he 
had  jammed  it  and  made  it  useless.  If  he  pulled  a 
bell  the  engineer  might  misunderstand.  She  must 
back  !  She  could  not  pass  the  other  vessel  if  she  went 
ahead.  He  leaned  out  of  the  door  of  the  pilot-house 
and  yelled  downward  to  the  engineer  to  back  her.  He 
yelled  to  somebody  to  tell  the  engineer  to  back  her. 
He  shouted  until  his  shouts  became  screams,  but  nobody 
obeyed  his  orders— no  one  seemed  to  hear  or  to  heed. 
But  one  person  did  hear. 

Willy  Croup  had  been  impelled  out  of  the  door  of 
282 


MRS.  CLIFFS  YACHT 

the  saloon,  and  had  slid  forward  on  her  knees  and 
elbows  until  she  was  nearly  under  the  pilot-house. 
At  the  sound  of  Burke's  voice,  she  looked  up— she  com 
prehended  that  orders  were  being  given  to  which  no 
attention  was  paid.  The  wild  excitement  of  the  shout 
ing  captain  filled  her  with  an  excitement  quite  as 
wild.  She  heard  the  name  of  the  engineer,  she  heard 
the  order,  and,  without  taking  time  to  rise  to  her  feet, 
she  made  a  bound  in  the  direction  of  the  engine- 
room. 

Thrusting  her  body  half  through  the  doorway,  she 
yelled  to  the  engineer,  who,  scarcely  conscious  of  where 
he  was  or  what  he  was  doing,  was  pushing  himself 
away  from  among  his  bars  and  rods.  "Back  her ! " 
screamed  Willy,  and,  without  knowing  what  she  said  or 
did,  she  repeated  this  order  over  and  over  again,  in  a 
roaring  voice  which  no  one  would  have  supposed  her 
capable  of,  and  accompanied  by  all  the  oaths  which 
at  that  moment  were  being  hurled  down  from  the 
pilot-house. 

The  engineer  did  not  look  up.  He  did  not  consider 
himself  nor  the  situation.  There  was  but  one  impres 
sion  upon  his  mind  made  by  the  electric  flash  of  the 
order,  backed  by  the  following  crash  of  oaths.  In 
stinctively  he  seized  his  lever,  reversed  the  engine, 
and  started  the  Summer  Shelter  backward.  Slowly, 
very  slowly,  she  moved.  Burke  held  his  breath. 

But  the  great  steamer  was  coming  on  slowly.  Her 
motion  was  increasing,  but  so  was  that  of  the  yacht, 
and  when,  after  some  moments  of  almost  paralyzing 
terror,  during  which  Willy  Croup  continued  to  hurl 
her  furious  orders  into  the  engine-room,  not  knowing 
they  had  been  obeyed,  the  two  vessels  drew  near  each 

283 


MRS.   CLIFFS  YACHT 

other,  and  the  Durikery  Beacon  crossed  the  bow  of  the 
Summer  Shelter  a  very  long  biscuit-toss  ahead. 

"Miss  Croup,"  said  Mr.  Litchfield,  his  hand  upon 
her  shoulder,  "that  will  do !  The  yacht  is  out  of 
immediate  danger." 

Willy  started  up.  Her  wild  eyes  were  raised  to 
the  face  of  the  young  clergyman.  The  roar  of  her  own 
invectives  sounded  in  her  ears.  Tears  poured  from 
her  eyes. 

"Mercy  on  me,  Mr.  Litchfield!"  she  exclaimed, 
"what  have  I  been  saying?" 

"Never  mind  now,  Miss  Croup,"  said  he.  "Don't 
think  of  what  you  said.  She  backed ! " 


284 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

A  HEAD  ON  THE  WATEB 

WITH  her  engines  in  motion  and  her  wheel  in  the 
hands  of  Captain  Burke,  the  Summer  Shelter  was  in  no 
danger  of  being  run  into  by  the  Durikery  Beacon,  for 
she  was  much  the  more  easily  managed  vessel. 

As  soon  as  they  had  recovered  a  moderate  command 
of  their  senses,  Burdette  and  Portman  hurried  below 
to  find  out  what  damage  had  been  sustained  by  the 
yacht;  but  although  she  must  have  been  greatly 
strained,  and  might  be  leaking  through  some  open 
seams,  the  tough  keelson  of  the  well-built  vessel,  run 
ning  her  length  like  a  stiff  backbone,  had  received 
and  distributed  the  shock,  and  although  her  bowsprit 
was  shivered  to  pieces  and  her  cutwater  splintered, 
her  sides  were  apparently  uninjured.  Furniture, 
baggage,  coils  of  rope,  and  everything  movable  had 
been  pitched  forward  and  heaped  in  disordered  piles 
all  over  the  vessel.  A  great  part  of  the  china  had 
been  broken.  Books,  papers,  and  ornaments  littered 
the  floors,  and  even  the  coal  was  heaped  up  in  the 
forward  part  of  the  bunkers. 

Burke  gave  the  wheel  to  Burdette  and  came  down, 
when  Mrs.  Cliff  immediately  rushed  to  him.  She  was 

285 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

not  hurt,  but  had  been  dreadfully  shaken  in  body  and 
mind.  "Oh,  what  are  we  going  to  do?"  she  cried. 
"They  are  wretched  murderers  !  "Will  they  keep  on 
trying  to  sink  us  ?  Can't  we  get  away  f  " 

"We  can  get  away  whenever  we  please,"  said  Burke, 
his  voice  husky  and  cracked.  "If  it  wasn't  for  Shirley, 
I'd  sail  out  of  their  sight  in  half  an  hour." 

"But  we  can't  sail  away  and  leave  Mr.  Shirley," 
said  she.  "We  can't  go  away  and  leave  him  ! " 

But  little  effort  was  made  to  get  anything  into  order. 
Bruised  heads  and  shoulders  were  rubbed  a  little,  and 
all  on  board  seemed  trying  to  get  themselves  ready 
for  whatever  would  happen  next.  Burke,  followed  by 
Portman,  ran  to  the  cases  containing  the  rifles,  and, 
taking  them  out,  they  distributed  them,  giving  one  to 
every  man  on  board.  Some  of  the  clergymen  objected 
to  receiving  them,  and  expostulated  earnestly  and 
even  piteously  against  connecting  themselves  with  any 
bloodshed.  "Cannot  we  leave  this  scene  of  conten 
tion  f  "  some  of  them  said.  "Not  with  Shirley  on  that 
steamer,"  said  Burke,  and  to  this  there  was  no  reply. 

Burke  had  no  definite  reason  for  thus  arming  his 
crew,  but  with  such  an  enemy  as  the  Durikery  Beacon 
had  proved  herself  to  be  lying  to  a  short  distance 
away,  two  other  vessels,  probably  pirates,  in  the  vicin 
ity,  and  the  strong  bond  of  Shirley's  detention  holding 
the  yacht  where  she  was,  he  felt  that  he  should  be 
prepared  for  every  possible  emergency.  But  what  to 
do  he  did  not  know.  It  would  be  of  no  use  to  hail  the 
Dunkery  and  demand  Shirley.  He  had  done  that  over 
and  over  again  before  that  vessel  had  proved  herself 
an  open  enemy.  He  stood  with  brows  contracted, 
rifle  in  hand,  and  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  big  steamer 

286 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

ahead.     The  two  other  vessels  he  did  not  now  con 
sider,  for  they  were  still  some  miles  away. 

Willy  Croup  was  sitting  on  the  floor  of  the  saloon, 
sobbing  and  groaning,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  know 
what  in  the  world  was  the  matter  with  her.  But  Mr. 
Litchfield  knew,  and  he  knew  also  that  it  would  be  of 
no  use  to  try  to  comfort  her  with  any  ordinary  words 
of  consolation.  He  was  certain  that  she  had  not 
understood  anything  that  she  had  said,  not  even, 
perhaps,  the  order  to  back  the  yacht,  but  the  assertion 
of  this  would  have  made  but  little  impression  upon 
her  agitated  mind.  But  a  thought  struck  him,  and 
he  hurried  to  Burke  and  told  him  quickly  what  had 
happened.  Burke  listened,  and  could  not  even  now 
restrain  a  smile.  "It's  just  like  that  dear  Willy 
Croup,"  said  he.  "She's  an  angel ! " 

"Will  you  be  willing,"  said  Mr.  Litchfield,  "to  come 
and  tell  her  that  your  orders  could  not  have  been 
forcibly  and  quickly  enough  impressed  upon  the  en 
gineer's  mind  in  any  other  way  f  " 

Without  answering,  Burke  ran  to  where  Willy  was 
still  groaning.  "Miss  Croup,"  he  exclaimed,  "we  owe 
our  lives  to  you  !  If  you  hadn't  sworn  at  the  engineer, 
he  never  would  have  backed  her  in  time,  and  we 
would  all  have  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  ! " 

Mrs.  Cliff  looked  aghast,  and  Willy  sprang  to  her 
feet.  "Do  you  mean  that,  Mr.  Burke?  "  she  cried. 

"Yes,"  said  he.  "In  such  desperate  danger  you  had 
to  do  it.  It's  like  a  crack  on  the  back  when  you're 
choking.  You  were  the  only  person  able  to  repeat 
my  orders,  and  you  were  bound  to  do  it ! " 

"Yes,"  said  Mr.  Litchfield,  "and  you  saved  the 
ship!" 

287 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Willy  looked  at  him  a  few  moments  in  silence,  then, 
wiping  her  eyes,  she  said,  "Well,  you  know  more  about 
managing  a  ship  than  I  do,  and  I  hope  and  trust  I'll 
never  be  called  upon  to  back  one  again ! " 

Burke  and  most  of  the  other  men  now  gathered  on 
deck,  watching  the  Durikery  Beacon.  She  was  still 
lying  to,  blowing  off  steam,  and  there  seemed  to  be  a 
good  deal  of  confusion  on  her  deck.  Suddenly  Burke 
saw  a  black  object  in  the  water  near  her  starboard 
quarter.  Gazing  at  it  intently,  his  eyes  began  to 
glisten.  In  a  few  moments  he  exclaimed :  "Look 
there  !  It's  Shirley  !  He's  swimming  to  the  yacht ! " 

Now  everybody  on  deck  was  straining  his  eyes  over 
the  water,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy,  who  had  heard 
Burke's  cry,  stood  with  the  others.  "Is  it  Shirley, 
really?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Are  you  sure  that's 
his  head  in  the  water  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  Burke,  "there's  no  mistake  about  it ! 
He's  taking  his  last  chance,  and  has  slipped  over  the 
rail  without  nobody  knowing  it." 

"And  can  he  swim  so  far?"  gasped  Willy. 

"Oh,  he  can  do  that,"  answered  Burke.  "I'd  steam 
up  closer  if  I  wasn't  afraid  of  attracting  attention.  If 
they'll  get  sight  of  him  they'll  fire  at  him,  but  he  can 
do  it  if  he's  let  alone  ! " 

Not  a  word  was  now  said.  Scarcely  a  breath  seemed 
to  come  or  go.  Everybody  was  gazing  steadfastly 
and  rigidly  at  the  swimmer,  who,  with  steady,  powerful 
strokes,  was  making  a  straight  line  over  the  gently 
rolling  waves  toward  the  yacht.  Although  they  did 
not  so  express  it  to  themselves,  the  coming  of  that 
swimmer  meant  everything  to  the  pale,  expectant 
people  on  the  Summer  Shelter.  If  he  should  reach 

288 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

them,  not  only  would  he  be  saved,  but  they  could 
steam  away  to  peace  and  safety. 

On  swam  Shirley,  evenly  and  steadily,  until  he  had 
passed  nearly  half  the  distance  between  the  two  ves 
sels,  when  suddenly  a  knot  of  men  were  seen  looking 
over  the  rail  of  the  Dunkery.  Then  there  was  a  com 
motion.  Then  a  man  was  seen  standing  up  high,  a 
gun  in  his  hand.  Willy  uttered  a  stifled  scream,  and 
Mrs.  Cliff  seized  her  companion  by  the  arm  with  such 
force  that  her  nails  nearly  entered  the  flesh,  and 
almost  in  the  same  instant  there  rang  out  from  the 
yacht  the  report  of  eight  rifles. 

Every  man  had  fired  at  the  fellow  with  the  gun, 
even  Burdette  in  the  pilot-house.  Some  of  the  balls 
had  gone  high  up  into  the  rigging,  and  some  had 
rattled  against  the  hull  of  the  steamer,  but  the  man 
with  the  gun  disappeared  in  a  flash.  Whether  he  had 
been  hit  or  frightened,  nobody  knew.  Shirley,  startled 
at  this  tremendous  volley,  turned  a  quick  backward 
glance,  and  then  dived,  but  soon  reappeared  again, 
striking  out  as  before  for  the  yacht. 

"Now,  then,"  shouted  Burke,  "keep  your  eyes  on 
the  rail  of  that  steamer  !  If  a  man  shows  his  head, 
fire  at  it ! " 

If  this  action  had  been  necessary,  very  few  of  the 
rifles  in  the  hands  of  the  members  of  the  late  Synod 
would  have  been  fired,  for  most  of  them  did  not  know 
how  to  recharge  their  weapons.  But  there  was  no 
need  even  for  Burke  to  draw  a  bead  on  a  pirate  head, 
for  now  not  a  man  could  be  seen  on  the  Dunkery  Bea 
con.  They  had  evidently  been  so  surprised  and 
astounded  by  a  volley  of  rifle-shots  from  this  pleasure 
yacht,  which  they  had  supposed  to  be  as  harmless  as 

289 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

a  floating  log,  that  every  man  on  deck  had  crouched 
behind  the  bulwarks. 

Now  Burke  gave  orders  to  steam  slowly  forward, 
and  for  everybody  to  keep  covered  as  much  as  possi 
ble  j  and  when,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  yacht's  engine 
stopped,  and  Shirley  swam  slowly  around  her  stern, 
there  was  a  rush  to  the  other  side  of  the  deck,  a  life- 
preserver  was  dropped  to  the  swimmer,  steps  were  let 
down,  and  the  next  minute  Shirley  was  on  deck, 
Burke's  strong  arm  fairly  lifting  him  in  over  the  rail. 
In  a  few  moments  the  deck  of  the  yacht  was  the  scene 
of  wild  and  excited  welcome  and  delight.  Each 
person  on  board  felt  as  if  a  brother  had  suddenly 
been  snatched  from  fearful  danger  and  returned  to 
their  midst. 

"I  can't  tell  you  anything  now,"  said  Shirley. 
"Give  me  a  dram,  and  let  me  get  on  some  dry 
clothes.  And  now  all  of  you  go  and  attend  to  what 
you've  got  to  do.  Don't  bother  about  that  steamer. 
She'll  go  down  in  half  an  hour  !  She's  got  a  big  hole 
stove  in  her  bow  ! " 

With  a  cry  of  surprise,  Burke  turned  and  looked  out 
at  the  Dunkery  Beacon.  Even  now  she  had  keeled 
over  to  starboard  so  much  that  her  deck  was  visible, 
and  her  head  was  already  lower  than  her  stern. 
"She'll  sink,"  he  cried,  "with  all  that  gold  on  board ! " 

"Yes,"  said  Shirley,  turning  with  a  weak  smile  as 
he  made  his  way  to  the  cabin,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Hodgson,  "she'll  go  down  with  every  bar  of  it ! " 

There  was  great  commotion  now  on  the  Dunkery 
Beacon.  It  was  plain  that  the  people  on  board  of  her 
had  discovered  that  it  was  of  no  use  to  try  to  save  the 
vessel,  and  they  were  lowering  her  boats.  Burke  and 

290 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

his  companions  stood  and  watched  for  some  minutes. 
"What  shall  we  do ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Arbuckle,  ap 
proaching  Burke.  "Can  we  offer  those  unfortunate 
wretches  any  assistance? " 

"All  we  can  do,"  said  Burke,  "is  to  keep  out  of 
their  way.  I  wouldn't  trust  one  of  them  within  pistol- 
shot." 

Now  Shirley  reappeared  on  deck.  He  had  had 
his  dram,  and  had  changed  his  clothes.  "You're 
right/'  said  he.  "They  're  a  set  of  pirates,  every  man 
of  them !  If  we  should  take  them  on  board,  they'd 
cut  all  our  throats.  They've  got  boats  enough,  and 
the  other  pirates  can  pick  them  up.  Keep  her  off, 
Burke.  That's  what  I  say  ! " 

There  was  no  time  now  for  explanations  or  for  any 
story  to  be  told,  and  Burke  gave  orders  that  the  yacht 
should  be  kept  away  from  the  sinking  steamer  and  her 
boats.  Suddenly  Burdette,  from  the  pilot-house,  sung 
out  that  there  was  a  steamer  astern,  and  the  eyes  which 
had  been  so  steadfastly  fixed  upon  the  Durikery  Beacon 
now  turned  in  that  direction.  There  they  saw,  less 
than  a  mile  away,  a  large  steamer  coming  down  from 
the  north. 

Burke's  impulse  was  to  give  orders  to  go  ahead  at 
full  speed,  but  he  hesitated,  and  raised  his  glass  to  his 
eye.  Then  in  a  few  moments  he  put  down  his  glass, 
turned  around,  and  shouted:  "That's  the  Monterey! 
The  Monterey  and  Captain  Horn ! " 


291 


CHAPTEE    XXXIII 

11°  30'  19"   NORTH    LATITUDE   BY  56°  10'    49"    WEST 
LONGITUDE 

THE  announcement  of  the  approach  of  Captain  Horn 
created  a  sensation  upon  the  Summer  Shelter  almost 
equal  to  that  occasioned  by  any  of  the  extraordinary 
incidents  which  had  occurred  upon  that  vessel.  Burke 
and  Shirley  were  wild  with  delight  at  the  idea  of 
meeting  their  old  friend  and  commander.  Willy 
Croup  had  never  seen  Captain  Horn,  but  she  had 
heard  so  much  about  him  that  she  considered  him  in 
her  mind  as  a  being  of  the  nature  of  a  heathen  deity 
who  rained  gold  upon  those  of  whom  he  approved, 
and  utterly  annihilated  the  unfortunates  who  incurred 
his  displeasure. 

As  for  Mrs.  Cliff,  her  delight  in  the  thought  of  meet 
ing  Captain  Horn,  great  as  it  was,  was  overshadowed 
by  her  almost  frantic  desire  to  clasp  once  more  in  her 
arms  her  dear  friend  Edna.  The  clergymen  had  heard 
everything  that  the  Summer  Shelter  people  could  tell 
them  about  Captain  Horn  and  his  exploits,  and  each 
man  of  them  was  anxious  to  look  into  the  face  and 
shake  the  hand  of  the  brave  sailor,  whom  they  had 
learned  to  look  upon  as  a  hero,  and  one  or  two  of 

292 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

them  thought  that  it  might  be  proper,  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  to  resume  their  clerical  attire  before  the 
interview.  But  this  proposition,  when  mentioned, 
was  discountenanced.  They  were  here  as  sailors  to 
work  the  yacht,  and  they  ought  not  to  be  ashamed  to 
look  like  sailors.  The  yacht  was  now  put  about  and 
got  under  headway,  and  slowly  moved  in  the  direction 
of  the  approaching  steamer. 

When  Captain  Horn  had  finished  the  fight  in  which 
he  was  engaged  with  the  Vittorio,  and  had  steamed 
down  in  the  direction  of  the  two  other  vessels  in  the 
vicinity,  it  was  not  long  before  he  discovered  that  one 
of  them  was  an  American  yacht.  Why  it  and  the 
Dunkery  Beacon  should  be  lying  there  together  he 
could  not  even  imagine,  but  he  was  quite  sure  that 
this  must  be  the  vessel  owned  by  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  com 
manded  by  his  old  shipmate  Burke. 

When  at  last  the  Monterey  and  the  Summer  Shelter 
were  lying  side  by  side  within  hailing  distance,  and 
Captain  Horn  had  heard  the  stentorian  voice  of  Burke 
roaring  through  his  trumpet,  he  determined  that  he 
and  Edna  would  go  on  board  the  yacht,  for  there  were 
dead  men  and  wounded  men  on  his  own  vessel,  and 
the  condition  of  his  deck  was  not  such  as  he  would 
wish  to  be  seen  by  Mrs.  Cliff  and  whatever  ladies 
might  be  with  her. 

When  Captain  Horn  and  his  wife,  with  Captain 
Hagar,  rowed  by  four  men,  reached  the  side  of  the 
Summer  Shelter,  they  were  received  with  greater  honor 
and  joy  than  had  ever  been  accorded  to  an  admiral 
and  his  suite.  The  meeting  of  the  five  friends  was  as 
full  of  excited  affection  as  if  they  were  not  now  stand 
ing  in  the  midst  of  strange  circumstances,  and,  per- 

293 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

haps,  many  dangers  which  none  of  them  really  under 
stood. 

Captain  Horn  seized  the  first  opportunity  which 
came  to  him  to  ask  the  question,  "What's  the  matter 
with  your  yacht  ?  You  seem  to  have  had  a  smash-up( 
forward." 

"Yes/7  said  Burke,  "there's  been  a  collision.  Those 
beastly  hounds  tried  to  run  us  down.  But  we  caught 
her  squarely  on  her  bow." 

At  this  moment  the  conversation  was  interrupted 
by  a  shout  from  Captain  Hagar,  who  had  taken  notice 
of  nobody  on  the  yacht,  but  stood  looking  over  the 
water  at  his  old  ship.  "What's  the  matter,"  he  cried, 
"with  the  Dunkery  Beacon?  Has  she  sprung  a  leak? 
Are  those  the  pirates  still  on  board  ? " 

Captain  Horn  and  the  others  quickly  joined  him. 
"Sprung  a  leak  ! "  cried  Shirley.  "She's  got  a  hole  in 
her  bow  as  big  as  a  barrel.  I've  been  on  board  of 
her,  but  I  can't  tell  you  about  that  now.  There's  no 
use  to  think  of  doing  anything.  Those  are  bloody 
pirates  that  are  lowering  the  boats,  and  we  can't  go 
near  them.  Besides,  you  can  see  for  yourself  that 
that  steamer  is  settling  down  by  the  head  as  fast  as 
she  can." 

Captain  Horn  was  now  almost  as  much  excited  as 
the  unfortunate  commander  of  the  Dunkery  Beacon. 
"Where's  that  gold?"  he  cried.  "Where  is  it 
stowed  ?  " 

"It  is  in  the  forward  hold,  with  a  lot  of  cargo  on 
top  of  it ! "  groaned  Captain  Hagar. 

Shirley  now  spoke  again.  "Don't  think  about  the 
gold!"  he  said.  "I  kept  my  eyes  opened  and  my 
ears  sharpened  when  I  was  on  board,  and  although  I 

294 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

didn't  understand  all  their  lingo,  I  knew  what  they 
were  at.  When  they  found  there  was  no  use  pumping 
or  trying  to  stop  the  leak,  they  tried  to  get  at  that 
gold.  But  they  couldn't  do  it.  The  water  was  coming 
in  right  there,  and  the  men  could  not  rig  up  the 
tackle  to  move  the  cargo.  They  were  all  wild  when 
I  left." 

Captain  Horn  said  no  more,  but  stood  with  the 
others,  gazing  at  the  Durikery  Beacon.  But  Captain 
Hagar  beat  his  hands  upon  the  rail,  and  declared  over 
and  over  again  that  he  would  rather  never  have  seen 
the  ship  again  than  to  see  her  sink  there  before  his 
eyes,  with  all  that  treasure  on  board.  The  yacht  lay 
near  enough  to  the  Durikery  Beacon  for  Captain  Hagar 
to  see  plainly  what  was  going  on  on  his  old  ship,  with 
out  the  aid  of  a  glass.  With  eyes  glaring  madly  over 
the  water,  he  stood  leaning  upon  the  rail,  his  face  pale, 
his  whole  form  shaking  as  if  he  had  a  chill.  Every 
one  on  the  deck  of  the  yacht  stood  near  him,  but 
no  one  said  anything.  This  was  no  time  for  ask 
ing  questions  or  making  explanations. 

The  men  on  the  Durikery  Beacon  were  hurrying  to 
leave  the  vessel.  One  of  the  starboard  boats  was  al 
ready  in  the  water,  with  too  many  men  in  her.  The 
vessel  had  keeled  over  so  much  that  there  seemed  to 
be  difficulty  in  lowering  the  boats  on  the  port  side. 
Everybody  seemed  rushing  to  starboard,  and  two 
other  boats  were  swinging  out  on  their  davits.  Every 
time  the  bow  of  the  steamer  rose  and  fell  upon  the 
swell,  it  seemed  to  go  down  a  little  more  and  up  a 
little  less,  and  the  deck  was  slanted  so  much  that  the 
men  appeared  to  slide  down  to  the  starboard  bul 
warks. 

295 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Now  the  first  boat  pushed  off  from  the  sinking  ship,, 
and  the  two  others,  both  crowded,  were  soon  pulling 
after  her.  It  was  not  difficult  to  divine  their  inten 
tions.  The  three  boats  headed  immediately  for  the 
northeast,  where,  less  than  two  miles  away,  the  Vittorio 
could  be  plainly  seen. 

At  this  moment  Captain  Hagar  gave  a  yell.  He 
sprang  back  from  the  rail,  and  his  eyes  fell  upon  a  rifle 
which  had  been  laid  on  a  bench  by  one  of  the  clergy 
men.  He  seized  it  and  raised  it  to  his  shoulder,  but 
in  an  instant  Captain  Horn  took  hold  of  it,  pointing 
it  upward.  "What  are  you  going  to  do?"  he  said. 
"Captain,  you  don't  mean  to  fire  at  them  ! " 

"Of  course  I  mean  it ! "  cried  Captain  Hagar. 
"We've  got  them  in  a  bunch.  We  must  follow  them 
up  and  shoot  them  down  like  rats  ! " 

"We'll  get  up  steam  and  run  them  down ! "  shouted 
Burke.  "We  ought  to  sink  them,  one  boat  after  an 
other,  the  rascally  pirates  !  They  tried  to  sink  us  ! " 

"No,  no,"  said  Captain  Horn,  taking  the  gun  from 
Captain  Hagar,  "we  can't  do  that.  That's  a  little  too 
cold-blooded.  If  they  attack  us,  we'll  fight  them,  but 
we  can't  take  capital  punishment  into  our  own  hands." 

Now  the  excited  thoughts  of  Captain  Hagar  took 
another  turn.  "Lower  a  boat !  Lower  a  boat ! "  he 
cried.  "Let  me  be  pulled  to  the  Dunkery  !  Every 
thing  I  own  is  on  that  ship.  The  pirates  wouldn't  let 
me  take  anything  away.  Lower  a  boat !  I  can  get 
into  my  cabin." 

Shirley  now  stepped  to  the  other  side  of  Captain 
Hagar.  "It's  no  use  to  think  of  that,  captain,"  he 
said.  "It  would  be  regular  suicide  to  go  on  board 
that  vessel.  Those  fellows  were  afraid  to  stay  another 

296 


MRS.  CLIFF'S  YACHT 

minute.     She'll  go  down  before  you  know  it.     Look 
at  her  bows  now  ! " 

Captain  Hagar  said  no  more,  and  the  little  com 
pany  on  the  deck  of  the  yacht  stood,  pale  and  silent, 
gazing  out  over  the  water  at  the  DunJcery  Beacon. 
Willy  Croup  was  crying,  and  there  were  tears  in  the 
eyes  of  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Edna.  In  the  heart  of  the  latter 
was  deep,  deep  pain,  for  she  knew  what  her  husband 
was  feeling  at  that  moment.  She  knew  it  had  been 
the  high  aim  of  his  sensitive  and  honorable  soul  that 
the  gold  for  which  he  had  labored  so  hard  and  dared 
so  much  should  safely  reach,  in  every  case,  those  to 
whom  it  had  been  legally  adjudged.  If  it  should  fail 
to  reach  them,  where  was  the  good  of  all  that  toil  and 
suffering  ?  He  had,  in  a  measure,  taken  upon  himself 
the  responsibility  of  the  safe  delivery  of  that  treasure, 
and  now  here  he  was  standing,  and  there  was  the 
treasure  sinking  before  his  eyes.  As  she  stood  close 
by  him,  Edna  seized  her  husband's  hand  and  pressed 
it.  He  returned  the  pressure,  but  no  word  was 
said. 

Now  the  Durikery  Beacon  rolled  more  heavily  than 
she  had  done  yet,  and  as  she  went  down  in  the  swell 
it  seemed  as  if  the  water  might  easily  flow  over  her 
forward  bulwarks,  and  her  bow  came  up  with  diffi 
culty,  as  if  it  were  sticking  fast  in  the  water.  Her 
masts  and  funnel  were  slanting  far  over  to  starboard, 
and  when,  after  rising  once  more,  she  put  her  head 
again  into  the  water,  she  dipped  it  in  so  deep  that 
her  rail  went  under  and  did  not  come  up  again.  Her 
stern  seemed  to  rise  in  the  air,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
the  sea  appeared  to  lift  itself  up  along  her  whole 
length.  Then,  with  a  dip  forward  of  her  funnel  and 

297 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

masts,  she  suddenly  went  down  out  of  sight,  and  the 
water  churned  and  foamed  and  eddied  about  the 
place  where  she  had  been.  The  gold  of  the  Incas 
was  on  its  way  to  the  bottom  of  the  unsounded  sea. 

Captain  Hagar  sat  down  upon  the  deck  and  covered 
his  face  with  his  hands.  No  one  said  anything  to  him 
—there  was  nothing  to  say.  The  first  to  speak  was 
Mrs.  Cliff.  "Captain  Horn/7  said  she,  her  voice  so 
shaken  by  her  emotion  that  she  scarcely  spoke  above 
a  whisper,  "we  did  everything  we  could,  and  this  is 
what  has  come  of  it ! " 

"Everything  ! "  exclaimed  Captain  Horn,  suddenly 
turning  toward  her.  "You  have  done  far  more  than 
could  be  expected  by  mortals !  And  now,"  said  he, 
turning  to  the  little  party,  "don't  let  one  of  us  grieve 
another  minute  for  the  sinking  of  that  gold.  If  any 
body  has  a  right  to  grieve,  it's  Captain  Hagar,  here. 
He's  lost  his  ship.  But  many  a  good  sailor  has  lost  his 
ship,  and  lived  and  died  a  happy  man  after  it.  And  as 
to  the  cargo  you  carried,  my  mate,"  said  he,  "you 
would  have  done  your  duty  by  it  just  the  same  whether 
it  had  been  pig-lead  or  gold ;  and  when  you  have  done 
your  duty,  there's  the  end  of  it ! " 

Captain  Hagar  looked  up,  rose  to  his  feet,  and  after 
gazing  for  a  second  in  the  face  of  Captain  Horn,  he 
took  his  extended  hand.  "You're  a  good  one  ! "  said 
he,  "but  you're  bound  to  agree  that  it's  tough ! 
There's  no  getting  around  that.  It's  all-fired  tough  ! " 

"Burke,"  said  Captain  Horn,  quickly,  glancing  up 
at  the  noonday  sun,  "put  her  out  there  near  the 
wreckage,  and  take  an  observation." 

It  was  shortly  after  this  that  Mr.  Portman,  the  sail 
ing-master,  came  aft  and  reported  the  position  of  the 

298 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

yacht  to  be  11°  30' 19"  north  latitude  by  56°  1C7  49" 
west  longitude. 

"What's  the  idea,"  said  Burke  to  Captain  Horn, 
"of  steering  right  to  the  spot?  Do  you  think  there'll 
ever  be  a  chance  of  getting  at  it?  " 

Captain  Horn  was  marking  the  latitude  and  longi 
tude  in  his  note-book.  "Can't  say  what  future  ages 
may  do  in  the  way  of  deep-sea  work,"  said  he,  "but 
I  'd  like  to  put  a  dot  on  my  chart  that  will  show  where 
the  gold  went  down." 

Nothing  could  be  more  unprofitable  for  the  shaken 
and  disturbed  spirits  of  the  people  on  the  Summer 
Shelter  than  to  stand  gazing  at  the  few  pieces  of  wood 
and  the  half-submerged  hen-coop  which  floated  above 
the  spot  where  the  Durikery  Beacon  had  gone  down,  or 
to  look  out  at  the  three  boats  which  the  pirates  were 
vigorously  rowing  toward  the  steamer  in  the  distance, 
and  this  fact  strongly  impressed  itself  upon  the  prac 
tical  mind  of  Mrs.  Cliff.  "Captain  Horn,"  said  she, 
"is  there  any  reason  why  we  should  not  go  away  ?  " 

"None  in  the  world,"  said  he,  "and  there's  every 
reason  why  your  vessel  and  mine  should  get  under 
headway  as  soon  as  possible.  Where  are  you  bound 
for  now  ?  " 

"Wherever  you  say,  captain,"  she  answered.  "This 
is  my  ship,  and  Mr.  Burke  is  my  captain,  but  we  want 
you  to  take  care  of  us,  and  you  must  tell  us  where  we 
should  go." 

"We'll  talk  it  over,"  said  he,  and  calling  Burke  and 
Captain  Hagar,  a  consultation  was  immediately  held, 
and  it  did  not  take  long  to  come  to  a  decision  when 
all  concerned  were  of  the  same  mind. 

It  was  decided  to  set  sail  immediately  for  Kingston, 
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MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

for  each  vessel  had" coal  enough,  with  the  assistance  of 
her  sails,  to  reach  that  port.  Mrs.  Cliff  insisted  that 
Edna  should  not  go  back  to  the  Monterey,  and  Captain 
Horn  agreed  to  this  plan,  for  he  did  not  at  all  wish 
any  womankind  on  the  Monterey  in  her  present  con 
dition.  The  yacht  had  been  found  to  be  perfectly 
seaworthy,  and  although  a  little  water  was  coming 
in,  her  steam-pump  easily  disposed  of  it.  Edna  ac 
cepted  Mrs.  Cliff's  invitation,  provided  her  husband 
would  agree  to  remain  on  the  yacht,  and,  somewhat 
to  her  surprise,  he  was  perfectly  willing  to  do  this. 
The  idea  had  come  to  him  that  the  best  thing  for  all 
parties,  and  especially  for  the  comfort  and  relief  of 
the  mind  of  Captain  Hagar,  was  to  put  him  in  com 
mand  of  a  ship  and  give  him  something  to  think 
about  other  than  the  loss  of  his  vessel. 

While  they  were  talking  over  these  matters,  and 
making  arrangements  to  send  to  the  Monterey  for 
Edna's  maid  and  some  of  her  baggage,  Captain  Horn 
sought  Burke  in  his  room.  "I  want  to  know,"  said 
he,  "what  sort  of  a  crew  you've  got  on  board  this 
yacht.  One  of  them— a  very  intelligent-looking 
man,  by  the  way,  with  black  trousers  on— came  up  to 
me  just  now  and  shook  hands  with  me,  and  said  he 
was  ever  so  much  pleased  to  make  my  acquaintance, 
and  hoped  he  would  soon  have  some  opportunities  of 
conversation  with  me.  That  isn't  the  kind  of  seaman 
I'm  accustomed  to  ! " 

Burke  laughed.  "It's  the  j oiliest  high-toned,  up 
per-ten  crew  that  ever  swabbed  a  deck  or  shovelled 
coal.  They're  all  ministers." 

"Ministers ! "  ejaculated  Captain  Horn,  absolutely 
aghast.  Then  Burke  told  the  story  of  the  Synod. 

300 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

Captain  Horn  sank  into  a  chair,  leaned  back,  and 
laughed  until  the  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks. 

"I  didn't  suppose,"  he  said  presently,  "that  any 
thing  could  make  me  laugh  on  a  day  like  this,  but  the 
story  of  those  Synod  gentlemen  has  done  it!  But, 
Burke,  there's  no  use  of  their  serving  as  seamen  any 
longer.  Let  them  put  on  their  black  clothes  and  be 
comfortable  and  happy.  I've  got  a  double  crew  on 
board  the  Monterey,  and  can  bring  over  just  as  many 
men  as  are  needed  to  work  this  yacht.  I'll  go  over 
myself  and  detail  a  crew,  and  then,  when  everything 
is  made  ready,  I'll  come  on  board  here  myself.  And 
after  that  I  want  you  to  remember  that  I'm  a  pas 
senger,  and  haven't  anything  to  do  with  the  sailing  of 
this  ship.  You're  captain,  and  must  attend  to  your 
own  vessel,  and  I'm  going  to  make  it  my  business  to 
get  acquainted  with  all  these  clergymen,  and  with 
that  lady  I  see  with  Mrs.  Cliff.  Who  is  she?" 

"By  George  ! "  exclaimed  Burke,  "she's  the  leading 
trump  of  the  world  !  That's  Willy  Croup  ! " 

There  was  no  time  then  to  explain  why  Willy  was 
a  leading  trump,  but  Captain  Horn  afterwards  heard 
the  story  of  how  she  backed  the  ship,  and  he  did  not 
wonder  at  Burke's  opinion. 

When  the  Summer  Shelter,  accompanied  by  the  Mon 
terey,  had  started  northward,  Burke  stood  by  Shirley 
on  the  bridge.  Mr.  Burdette  had  a  complete  crew  of 
able  seamen  under  his  command ;  there  was  a  cook 
in  the  kitchen,  and  stewards  in  the  saloons,  and  there 
was  a  carpenter  with  some  men  at  work  at  a  spare 
spar  which  was  to  be  rigged  as  a  bowsprit. 

"I'm  mighty  glad  to  lay  her  course  for  home,"  said 
Burke,  "for  I've  had  enough  of  it  as  things  are ;  but 

301 


MRS.  CLIFFS   YACHT 

if  things  were  not  exactly  as  they  are,  I  wouldn't  have 
enough  of  it." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  said  Shirley. 

"I  mean  this,"  was  the  answer.  "If  this  was  my 
yacht,  and  there  was  no  women  on  board,  and  no 
ministers,  I  would  have  put  on  a  full  head  of  steam, 
and  I  would  have  gone  after  those  boats,  and  I  would 
have  run  them  down,  one  after  another,  and  drowned 
every  bloody  pirate  on  board  of  them.  It  makes  my 
blood  boil  to  think  of  those  scoundrels  getting  away 
after  trying  to  run  us  down,  and  to  shoot  you  ! " 

"It  would  have  served  them  right  to  run  them 
down,  you  know,"  said  Shirley,  "but  you  couldn't  do 
it,  and  there's  no  use  talking  about  it.  It  would  have 
been  a  cold-blooded  piece  of  business  to  run  down  a 
small  boat  with  a  heavy  steamer,  and  I  don't  believe 
you  would  have  been  willing  to  do  it  yourself  when 
you  got  close  on  to  them !  But  the  captain  says  if 
we  get  to  Kingston  in  good  time,  we  may  be  able  to 
get  a  cable  message  to  London,  and  set  the  authorities 
at  every  likely  port  on  the  lookout  for  the  Vittorio." 

The  voyage  of  the  Summer  Shelter  to  Kingston  was 
uneventful,  but  in  many  respects  a  very  pleasant  one. 
There  had  been  a  great  disappointment,  there  had 
been  a  great  loss,  and,  to  the  spirits  of  some  of  the 
party,  there  had  been  a  great  shock  j  but  every  one 
now  seemed  determined  to  forget  everything  which 
had  been  unfortunate,  and  to  remember  only  that  they 
were  all  alive,  all  safe,  all  together,  and  all  on  their 
way  home. 

The  clergymen,  relieved  of  their  nautical  duties, 
shone  out  brightly  as  good-humored  and  agreeable 
companions.  Their  hardships  and  their  dangers  had 

302 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

made  them  so  well  acquainted  with  each  other,  and 
with  everybody  else  on  board,  and  they  had  found  it 
so  easy  to  become  acquainted  with  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Horn,  and  they  all  felt  so  much  relieved  from  the  load 
of  anxiety  which  had  been  lifted  from  them,  that  they 
performed  well  their  parts  in  making  up  one  of  the 
j  oiliest  companies  which  ever  sailed  over  the  South 
Atlantic. 

At  Kingston  the  Summer  Shelter  and  the  Monterey 
were  both  left,— the  former  to  be  completely  repaired 
and  brought  home  by  Mr.  Portman,  and  the  other  to 
be  coaled  and  sent  back  to  Vera  Cruz,  with  her  officers 
and  her  crew,— and  our  whole  party,  including  Cap 
tain  Hagar,  sailed  in  the  next  mail-steamer  for  New 
York. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

PLAINTON,   MAINE 

IT  was  late  in  the  summer,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  dwelt  happy 
and  serene  in  her  native  town  of  Plainton,  Maine. 
She  had  been  there  during  the  whole  warm  season,  for 
Plainton  was  a  place  to  which  people  came  to  be  cool 
and  comfortable  in  summer-time,  and  if  she  left 
her  home  at  all,  it  would  not  be  in  the  months  of  foli 
age  and  flowers.  It  might  well  be  believed  by  any 
one  who  would  look  out  of  one  of  the  tall  windows  of 
her  drawing-room  that  Mrs.  Cliff  did  not  need  to  leave 
home  for  the  mere  sake  of  rural  beauty.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  street,  where  once  stretched  a  block  of 
poor  little  houses  and  shops,  now  lay  a  beautiful  park 
—the  Grove  of  the  Incas. 

The  zeal  of  Mr.  Burke  and  the  money  of  Mrs.  Cliff 
had  had  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  minds  of  the 
contractors  and  landscape-gardeners  who  had  this 
great  work  in  hand,  and  the  park,  which  really 
covered  a  very  large  space  in  the  village,  now  ap 
peared  from  certain  points  of  view  to  extend  for  miles, 
so  artfully  had  been  arranged  its  masses  of  obstructing 
foliage,  and  its  open  vistas  of  uninterrupted  view. 
The  surface  of  the  ground,  which  had  been  a  little 

304 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

rolling,  had  been  made  more  unequal  and  diversified, 
and  over  all  the  little  hills  and  dells,  and  upon  the 
wide,  smooth  stretches,  there  was  a  covering  of  bright 
green  turf.  It  had  been  a  season  of  genial  rains,  and 
there  had  been  a  special  corps  of  workmen  to  attend 
to  the  grass  of  the  new  park. 

Great  trees  were  scattered  here  and  there,  and  many 
people  wondered  when  they  saw  them,  but  these  trees, 
oaks  and  chestnuts,  tall  hickories  and  bright,  cheerful 
maples,  had  been  growing  where  they  stood  since  they 
were  little  saplings.  The  people  of  Plainton  had 
always  been  fond  of  trees,  and  they  had  them  in  their 
side  yards,  and  in  their  back  yards,  and  at  the  front 
of  their  houses ;  and  when,  within  the  limits  of  the 
new  park,  all  these  yards,  and  houses,  and  sheds,  and 
fences  had  been  cleared  away,  there  stood  the  trees. 
Hundreds  of  other  trees,  evergreens  and  deciduous, 
many  of  them  of  good  size,  had  been  brought  from 
the  adjacent  country  on  great  wheels,  which  had 
excited  the  amazement  of  the  people  in  the  town,  and 
planted  in  the  park. 

Through  the  middle  of  the  grounds  ran  a  wide  and 
turbulent  brook,  whirling  around  its  rocks  and  spread 
ing  out  into  its  deep  and  beautiful  pools,  and  where 
once  stood  the  "Widow  Casey's  little  house,— which  was 
built  on  the  side  of  a  bank,  so  that  the  Caseys  went 
into  the  second  story  when  they  entered  by  the  front, 
—now  leaped  a  beautiful  cataract  over  that  very 
bank,  scattering  its  spray  upon  the  trunks  of  the  two 
big  chestnuts,  one  of  which  used  to  stand  by  the  side 
of  Mrs.  Casey's  house,  and  the  other  at  the  front. 

In  the  shade  of  the  four  great  oak-trees  which  had 
stood  in  William  Hamilton's  back  yard,  and  which  he 

305 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

intended  to  cut  down  as  soon  as  he  had  money  enough 
to  build  a  long  cow-stable,— for  it  was  his  desire  to  go 
into  the  dairy  business,— now  spread  a  wide,  trans 
parent  pool,  half  surrounded  at  its  upper  end  by 
marble  terraces,  on  the  edges  of  which  stood  tall 
statues  with  their  white  reflections  stretching  far 
down  into  the  depths  beneath.  Here  were  marble 
benches,  and  steps  down  to  the  water,  and  sometimes 
the  bright  gleams  of  sunshine  came  flittering  through 
the  leaves,  and  sometimes  the  leaves  themselves  came 
fluttering  down  and  floated  on  the  surface  of  the  pool. 
And  when  the  young  people  had  stood  upon  the  ter 
races,  or  had  sat  together  upon  the  wide  marble  steps, 
they  could  walk  away,  if  they  chose,  through  masses  of 
evergreen  shrubbery,  whose  quiet  paths  seemed  to  shut 
them  out  from  the  world. 

On  a  little  hill  which  had  once  led  up  to  Parson's  barn, 
but  which  now  ended  quite  abruptly  in  a  little  preci 
pice  with  a  broad  railing  on  its  edge  and  a  summer- 
house  a  little  back,  one  could  sit  and  look  out  over 
the  stretch  of  bright  green  lawns,  between  two  clumps 
of  hemlocks,  and  over  a  hedge  which  concealed  the 
ground  beyond,  along  the  whole  length  of  the  vista 
made  by  Becker  Street,  which  obligingly  descended 
slightly  from  the  edge  of  the  park  so  that  its  houses 
were  concealed  by  the  hemlocks,  and  then  out  upon 
the  country  beyond,  and  to  the  beautiful  hills  against 
the  sky  ;  and  such  a  one  might  well  imagine,  should 
he  be  a  stranger,  that  all  he  saw  was  in  the  Grove  of 
the  Incas.  Upon  all  the  outer  edges  of  this  park  there 
were  masses  of  shrubbery,  or  little  lines  of  hedge, 
irregularly  disposed,  with  bits  of  grass  opening  upon 
the  street,  and  here  and  there  a  line  of  slender  iron 

306 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

railing  with  a  group  of  statuary  back  of  it,  and  so  the 
people,  when  they  walked  that  way,  scarcely  knew 
when  they  entered  the  park  or  when  they  left  it. 

The  home  of  Mrs.  Cliff  itself  had  seemed  to  her  to 
be  casting  off  its  newness  and  ripening  into  the  ma 
tured  home.  Much  of  this  was  due  to  work  which 
had  been  done  upon  the  garden  and  surrounding 
grounds,  but  much  more  was  due  to  the  imperceptible 
influence  of  the  Misses  Thorpdyke.  These  ladies  had 
not  only  taken  with  them  to  the  house  so  many  of  the 
time-honored  objects  which  they  had  saved  from  their 
old  home,  but  they  had  brought  to  bear  upon  every 
thing  around  them  the  courtly  tastes  of  the  olden 
time. 

Willy  Croup  had  declared,  as  she  stood  in  the  hall 
gazing  up  at  the  staircase,  that  it  often  seemed  to  her, 
since  she  came  back,  as  if  her  grandfather  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  coming  down  those  stairs.  "I  never  saw 
him,"  she  said,  "and  I  don't  know  what  sort  of  stairs 
he  used  to  come  down,  but  there's  something  about 
all  this  which  makes  me  think  of  things  far  back  and 
grand,  and  I  know,  from  what  I've  heard  of  him,  that 
he  would  have  liked  to  come  down  such  stairs." 

Mrs.  Horn  and  her  husband  had  made  a  long  visit 
to  Mrs.  Cliff,  and  they  had  departed  early  in  the 
summer  for  a  great  property  they  had  bought  in  the 
West,  which  included  mountains,  valleys,  a  canon, 
and  such  far-extending  groves  of  golden  fruit  that 
Edna  already  called  the  captain  the  "  Prince  of 
Orange." 

Edna's  brother,  Ealph,  had  also  been  in  Plainton. 
He  had  come  there  to  see  his  sister  and  Captain  Horn, 
and  that  splendid  old  woman  Mrs.  Cliff,  but  soon  after 

307 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

he  reached  the  town  it  might  well  have  been  supposed 
that  it  was  Mr.  Burke  whom  he  came  to  visit.  This 
worthy  mariner  and  builder  still  lived  in  Plainton.  His 
passion  for  an  inland  residence  had  again  grown  upon 
him,  and  he  seemed  to  have  given  up  all  thoughts  of 
the  sea.  He  and  Ralph  had  royal  times  together,  and 
if  the  boy  had  not  felt  that  he  must  go  with  Captain 
Horn  and  his  sister  to  view  the  wonders  of  the  far 
West,  he  and  Burke  would  have  concocted  some  grand 
expedition  intended  for  some  sort  of  an  effect  upon 
the  civilization  of  the  world. 

But  although  Mrs.  Cliff,  for  many  reasons,  had  no 
present  desire  to  leave  her  home,  she  did  not  relin 
quish  the  enterprise  for  which  the  Summer  Shelter  had 
been  designed.  When  Captain  Hagar  had  gone  to 
London  and  had  reported  to  his  owners  the  details  of 
his  dire  and  disastrous  misfortune,  he  had  been  made 
the  subject  of  censure  and  severe  criticism  ;  and  while 
no  reason  could  be  found  why  he  should  be  legally 
punished  for  what  had  happened,  he  was  made  to 
understand  that  there  was  no  ship  for  him  in  the  gift 
of  the  house  he  had  so  long  served. 

When  Mrs.  Cliff  heard  of  this,— and  she  heard  of  it 
very  soon,  through  Captain  Horn,— she  immediately 
offered  Captain  Hagar  the  command  of  the  Summer 
Shelter -,  assuring  him  that  her  designs  included  cruises 
of  charity  in  the  North  in  summer,  and  in  tropical 
waters  in  the  winter-time,  and  that,  of  all  men  she 
knew  of,  he  was  the  captain  who  should  command  her 
yacht.  He  was,  indeed,  admirably  adapted  to  this 
service,  for  he  was  of  a  kind  and  gentle  nature,  and 
loved  children,  and  he  had  such  an  observing  mind 
that  it  frequently  happened,  when  he  had  looked  over 

308 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

a  new  set  of  passengers,  and  had  observed  their  physi 
cal  tendencies,  that  he  did  not  take  a  trip  to  sea  at  all, 
but  cruised  up  the  smooth,  quiet  waters  of  the  Hudson. 

As  soon  as  it  could  possibly  be  done,  Captain  Horn 
caused  messages  to  be  sent  to  many  ports  on  the  French 
and  Spanish  coast,  and  along  the  Mediterranean,  in 
order  that  if  the  Vittorio  arrived  in  any  of  these  har 
bors,  her  officers  and  men  might  be  seized  and  held ; 
but  it  was  a  long  time  before  there  was  any  news  of 
the  pirate  ship,  and  then  she  was  heard  of  at  Mogador, 
a  port  on  the  western  coast  of  Morocco,  where  she  had 
been  sold,  under  very  peculiar  circumstances  and  for  a 
very  small  price,  by  the  men  who  had  come  there  in 
her,  and  who  had  departed  north  at  different  times  on 
trading- vessels  which  were  bound  for  Marseilles  and 
Gibraltar. 

More  definite  information  was  received  of  the  third 
of  the  pirate  vessels  which  had  been  fitted  out  to  cap 
ture  the  Peruvians'  treasure,  for,  as  this  vessel  ap 
proached  the  West  Indies,  she  was  overhauled  by  a 
Spanish  cruiser,  who,  finding  her  manned  by  a  suspi 
cious  crew  and  well  supplied  with  firearms,  had  seized 
her  as  a  filibuster,  and  had  taken  her  into  a  Cuban 
port,  where  she  still  remained,  with  her  crew  in  prison 
awaiting  trial,  or  a  tardy  release,  in  case  it  became  in 
convenient  to  detain  them  longer. 

The  other  pirate  vessel,  on  which  Captain  Hagar 
and  his  men  had  been  placed  when  they  were  forced 
to  leave  the  Dunkery  Beacon,  finally  reached  George 
town,  British  Guiana,  where,  after  a  long  course  of 
legal  action,  it  was  condemned  and  sold,  and  as  much 
of  the  price  as  was  left  after  costs  had  been  paid  was 
handed  over  to  the  owners  of  the  Dunkery  Beacon. 

309 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

Among  the  reasons  which  made  Mrs.  Cliff  very  glad 
to  remain  at  Plainton  was  one  of  paramount  impor 
tance.  She  was  now  engaged  in  a  great  work  which 
satisfied  all  her  aspirations  and  desires  to  make  herself 
able  to  worthily  and  conscientiously  cope  with  her 
income. 

When,  after  the  party  on  the  Summer  Shelter  had 
separated  at  New  York,  and  the  ex-members  of  the 
Synod  had  gone  to  their  homes,  Mrs.  Cliff  and  her 
party,  which  included  Shirley  as  well  as  Captain  Horn 
and  his  wife,  had  reached  Plainton,  their  minds  were 
greatly  occupied  with  the  subject  of  the  loss  of  the 
Peruvians'  share  of  the  Incas'  treasures.  It  was  de 
lightful  for  Mrs.  Cliff  and  Willy  to  reach  again  their 
charming  home,  and  their  friends  were  filled  with  a 
pleasure  which  they  could  scarcely  express  to  see  and 
enjoy  the  beauties  and  the  comforts  with  which  Mrs. 
Cliff  had  surrounded  herself ;  but  there  was  still  upon 
them  all  the  shadow  of  that  great  misfortune  which 
had  happened  off  the  eastern  coast  of  South  America. 

News  came  to  them  of  what  had  been  said  and  done 
in  London,  and  of  what  had  been  said  and  done,  not 
only  in  Peru,  but  in  other  states  of  South  America,  in 
regard  to  the  loss  of  the  treasure,  but  nothing  was  said 
or  done  in  any  quarter  which  tended  to  invalidate 
their  right  to  the  share  of  the  gold  which  had  been 
adjudged  to  them.  The  portion  of  the  treasure  al 
lotted  to  the  Peruvian  government  had  been  duly 
delivered  to  its  agents,  and  it  was  the  fault  of  those 
agents,  acting  under  the  feverish  orders  of  their  su 
periors,  which  had  been  the  reason  of  its  injudicious 
and  hasty  transportation  and  consequent  loss. 

But  although  the  ownership  of  the  treasure  which 
310 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

was  now  in  the  safe  possession  of  those  to  whom  it  had 
been  adjudged  was  not  considered  a  matter  to  be 
questioned  or  discussed,  Mrs.  Cliff  was  not  satisfied 
with  the  case  as  it  stood,  and  her  dissatisfaction 
rapidly  spread  to  the  other  members  of  the  party.  It 
pained  her  to  think  that  the  native  Peruvians,  those 
who  might  be  considered  the  descendants  of  the  Incas, 
would  now  derive  no  benefit  from  the  discovery  of 
the  treasure  of  their  ancestors,  and  she  announced  her 
intention  to  devote  a  portion  of  her  wealth  to  the 
interests  and  advantage  of  these  natives. 

Captain  Horn  was  much  impressed  with  this  idea, 
and  agreed  that  if  Mrs.  Cliff  would  take  the  manage 
ment  of  the  enterprise  into  her  own  hands,  he  would 
contribute  largely  to  any  plan  which  she  might  adopt 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Peruvians.  Edna,  who  now 
held  a  large  portion  of  the  treasure  in  her  own  right, 
insisted  upon  being  allowed  to  contribute  her  share  to 
this  object,  and  Burke  and  Shirley  declared  that  they 
would  become  partners,  according  to  their  means,  in 
the  good  work. 

There  was,  of  course,  a  great  deal  of  talk  and  dis 
cussion  in  regard  to  the  best  way  of  using  the  very 
large  amount  of  money  which  had  been  contributed 
by  the  various  members  of  the  party,  but  before  Cap 
tain  Horn  and  his  wife  left  Plainton  everything  was 
arranged,  and  Mrs.  Cliff  found  herself  at  the  head  of 
an  important  and  well-endowed  private  mission  to  the 
native  inhabitants  of  Peru.  She  did  not  make  imme 
diately  a  definite  plan  of  action,  but  her  first  steps  in 
the  direction  of  her  great  object  showed  that  she  was 
a  woman  well  qualified  to  organize  and  carry  on  the 
great  work  in  the  cause  of  civilization  and  en- 

311 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

lightenment  which  she  had  undertaken.  She  engaged 
the  Eev.  Mr.  Hodgson  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Litchfield, 
both  yorng  men  whose  dispositions  led  them  to 
prefer  earnest  work  in  new  and  foreign  lands  to  the 
ordinary  labors  of  a  domestic  parish,  to  go  to  Peru  to 
survey  the  scene  of  the  proposed  work,  and  to  report 
what,  in  their  opinion,  ought  to  be  done,  and  how  it 
should  be  undertaken. 

Mrs.  Cliff,  now  in  the  very  maturity  of  her  mental 
and  physical  powers,  felt  that  this  great  work  was 
the  most  congenial  task  that  she  could  possibly  have 
undertaken,  and  her  future  life  now  seemed  open  be 
fore  her  in  a  series  of  worthy  endeavors  in  which  her 
conscientious  feelings  in  regard  to  her  responsibilities, 
and  her  desire  to  benefit  her  fellow-beings,  should  be 
fully  satisfied.  As  to  her  fellow- workers  and  those  of 
her  friends  who  thoroughly  comprehended  the  nature 
of  the  case,  there  was  a  general  belief  that  those  in 
habitants  of  Peru  who  were  rightfully  entitled  to  the 
benefits  of  the  discovered  treasure  would,  under  her 
management  and  direction  of  the  funds  in  her  hands, 
receive  far  more  good  and  advantage  than  they  could 
possibly  have  expected  had  the  treasure  gone  to  the 
Peruvian  government.  In  fact,  there  were  those  who 
said  that  had  the  Durikery  Beacon  safely  arrived  in  the 
port  of  Callao,  the  whole  of  the  continent  of  South 
America  might  have  been  disturbed  and  disrupted  by 
the  immense  overbalance  of  wealth  thrown  into  the 
treasury  of  one  of  its  states. 

It  is  true  that  Mrs.  Cliff's  plans  and  purposes  did  not 
entirely  pass  without  criticism.  "It's  all  very  well," 
said  Miss  Nancy  Shott  to  Mrs.  Ferguson  one  morning 
when  the  latter  had  called  upon  her  with  a  little 

312 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

basket  of  cake  and  preserves,  "for  Mrs.  Cliff  to  be  send 
ing  her  money  to  the  colored  poor  of  South  America, 
but  a  person  who  has  lived  as  she  has  lived  in  days 
gone  by  ought  to  remember  that  there  are  poor  people 
who  are  not  colored,  and  who  live  a  great  deal  nearer 
than  South  America."  Miss  Shott  was  at  work  as 
she  said  this,  but  she  could  always  talk  when  she 
was  working.  She  was  busy  packing  the  California 
blankets,  which  Mrs.  Cliff  had  given  her,  in  a  box  for 
the  summer,  putting  pieces  of  camphor  rolled  up  in 
paper  between  their  folds.  "If  she  wanted  to  find 
people  to  give  money  to,  she  needn't  hire  ministers 
to  go  out  and  hunt  for  them.  There  are  plenty  of 
them  here,  right  under  her  nose,  and  if  she  doesn't 
see  them,  it's  because  she  shuts  her  eyes  wilfully  and 
won't  look." 

"But  it  seems  to  me,  Miss  Shott,"  said  Mrs.  Fergu 
son,  "that  Mrs.  Cliff  has  done  ever  so  much  for  the 
people  of  Plainton.  For  instance,  there  are  those 
blankets.  What  perfectly  splendid  things  they  are  ! 
—so  soft  and  light,  and  yet  so  thick  and  warm ! 
They're  all  wool,  every  thread  of  them,  I  have  no 
doubt." 

"All  wool ! "  said  Miss  Shott.  "Of  course  they  are, 
and  that's  the  trouble  with  them.  Some  of  these  days 
they'll  have  to  be  washed,  and  then  they'll  shrink  up 
so  short  that  I  suppose  I'll  have  to  freeze  either  my 
chin  or  my  toes.  And  as  to  her  giving  them  to  me, 
'turn  about's  fair  play.'  I  once  j'ined  in  to  give  her  a 
pair." 

"Oh  !  "  said  Mrs.  Ferguson. 

Mr.  George  Burke  was  now  the  only  member  of  our 
little  party  of  friends  who  did  not  seem  entirely  satis- 

313 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

fied  with  his  condition  and  prospects.  He  made  no 
complaints,  but  he  was  restless  and  discontented.  He 
did  not  want  to  go  to  sea,  for  he  vowed  he  had  had 
enough  of  it,  and  he  did  not  seem  to  find  any  satisfac 
tion  in  a  life  on  shore.  He  paid  a  visit  to  his  mother, 
but  he  did  not  stay  with  her  very  long,  for  Plainton 
seemed  to  suit  him  better.  But  when  he  returned  to 
his  house  in  that  town,  he  soon  left  it  to  go  and  spend 
a  few  days  with  Shirley. 

When  he  came  back,  Mrs.  Cliff,  who  believed  that 
his  uneasy  state  of  mind  was  the  result  of  want  of 
occupation  and  the  monotonous  life  of  a  small  town, 
advised  him  to  go  out  West  and  visit  Captain  Horn. 
There  was  so  much  in  that  grand  country  to  interest 
him  and  to  occupy  him,  body  and  mind.  But  to  this 
advice  Mr.  Burke  stoutly  objected. 

"I'm  not  going  out  there,"  he  said.  "I've  seen 
enough  of  Captain  Horn  and  his  wife.  To  tell  you 
the  truth,  Mrs.  Cliff,  that's  what's  the  matter  with  me." 

"I  don't  understand  you,"  said  she. 

"It's  simply  this,"  said  Burke.  "Since  I've  seen  so 
much  of  the  captain  and  his  wife,  and  the  happiness 
they  get  out  of  each  other,  I've  found  out  that  the 
kind  of  happiness  they've  got  is  exactly  the  kind  of 
happiness  I  want,  and  there  isn't  anything  else- 
money,  or  land,  or  orange  groves,  or  steamships— that 
can  take  the  place  of  it." 

"In  other  words,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  with  a  smile,  "you 
want  to  get  married." 

"You've  hit  it  exactly,"  said  he.  "I  want  a  wife. 
Of  course,  I  don't  expect  to  get  exactly  such  a  wife  as 
Captain  Horn  has,— they're  about  as  scarce  as  buried 
treasure,  I  take  it,— but  I  want  one  who  will  suit  me 

314 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

and  who  is  suited  to  me.  That's  what  I  want,  and  I 
shall  never  be  happy  until  I  get  her." 

"I  should  think  it  would  be  easy  enough  for  you  to 
get  a  wife,  Mr.  Burke,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff.  "You  are  in 
the  prime  of  life,  you  have  plenty  of  money,  and  I 
don't  believe  it  would  be  at  all  hard  to  find  a  good 
woman  who  would  be  glad  to  have  you." 

"That's  what  my  mother  said,"  said  he.  "When  I 
was  there  she  bored  me  from  morning  until  night  by 
telling  me  I  ought  to  get  married,  and  mentioning 
girlr  on  Cape  Cod  who  would  be  glad  to  have  me. 
But  there  isn't  any  girl  on  Cape  Cod  that  I  want.  To 
get  rid  of  them,  I  came  away  sooner  than  I  intended." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "perhaps  there  is  some 
one  in  particular  that  you  would  like  to  have." 

"That's  it  exactly,"  said  Burke.  "There  is  some 
one  in  particular." 

"And  do  you  mind  telling  me  who  it  is  f  "  she  asked. 

"Since  you  ask  me,  I  don't  mind  a  bit,"  said  he. 
"It's  Miss  Croup." 

Mrs.  Cliff  started  back  astonished.  "  Willy  Croup  ! " 
she  exclaimed.  "You  amaze  me  !  I  don't  think  she 
would  suit  you." 

"I'd  like  to  know  why  not?  "  he  asked  quickly. 

"In  the  first  place,"  said  she,  "it's  a  long  time  since 
Willy  was  a  girl." 

"That's  the  kind  I  want,"  he  answered.  "I  don't 
want  to  adopt  a  daughter.  I  want  to  marry  a  grown 
woman." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Cliff,  "Willy  is  certainly  grown. 
But  then,  it  doesn't  seem  to  me  that  she  would  be 
adapted  to  a  married  life.  I  am  sure  she  has  made 
up  her  mind  to  live  single,  and  she  hasn't  been  accus- 

315 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

tomed  to  manage  a  house  and  conduct  domestic  affairs. 
She  has  always  had  some  one  to  depend  upon." 

"That's  what  I  like/7  said  he.  "Let  her  depend  on 
me.  And  as  to  management,  you  needn't  say  any 
thing  to  me  about  that,  Mrs.  Cliff.  I  saw  her  bounc 
ing  to  the  galley  of  the  Summer  Shelter,  and  if  she 
manages  other  things  as  well  as  she  managed  the 
cooking  business  there,  she'll  suit  me." 

"It  seems  so  strange  to  me,  Mr.  Burke,"  said  Mrs. 
Cliff,  after  a  few  moments'  silence.  "I  never  imagined 
that  you  would  care  for  Willy  Croup." 

Mr.  Burke  drew  himself  forward  to  the  edge  of  the 
chair  on  which  he  was  sitting,  he  put  one  hand  on 
each  of  his  outspread  knees,  and  he  leaned  forward, 
with  a  very  earnest  and  animated  expression  on  his 
countenance.  "ISTow,  look  here,  Mrs.  Cliff,"  he  said, 
"I  want  to  say  something  to  you.  When  I  see  a  young 
woman,  brought  up  in  the  very  bosom  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  on  the  quarter-deck  of  respectability,  and 
who  never,  perhaps,  had  a  cross  word  said  to  her  in 
all  her  life,  or  said  one  to  anybody,  judging  from  her 
appearance,  and  whose  mind  is  more  like  a  clean 
pocket-handkerchief  in  regard  to  hard  words  and 
rough  language  than  anything  I  can  think  of,— when 
I  see  that  young  woman  with  a  snow-white  disposition 
that  would  naturally  lead  her  to  hymns  whenever  she 
wanted  to  raise  her  voice  above  common  conversation, 
— when  I  see  that  young  woman,  I  say,  in  a  moment 
of  life  or  death  to  her  and  every  one  about  her,  dash 
to  the  door  of  that  engine-room  and  shout  my  orders 
down  to  that  muddled  engineer,— knowing  I  couldn't 
leave  the  wheel  to  give  them  myself,— ramming  them 
into  him  as  if  with  the  point  of  a  handspike,  yelling 

316 


MRS.   CLIFF'S   YACHT 

out  everything  that  I  said,  word  for  word,  without 
picking  or  choosing,  trusting  in  me  that  I  knew  what 
ought  to  be  said  in  such  a  moment,  and  saying  it  after 
me,  word  for  word,  cursing,  swearing,  slamming  down 
oaths  on  him  just  as  I  did,  trusting  in  me  all  the  time 
as  to  what  words  ought  to  be  used,  and  just  warming 
up  that  blasted  engineer  until  sense  enough  came  to 
him  to  make  him  put  out  his  hand  and  back  her,— 
then,  Mrs.  Cliff,  I  know  that  a  woman  who  stands  by 
me  at  a  time  like  that  will  stand  by  me  at  any  time, 
and  that's  the  woman  I  want  to  stand  by.  And  now, 
what  have  you  got  to  say?  " 

"All  I  have  to  say,"  answered  Mrs.  Cliff,  who  had 
been  listening  intently  to  Mr.  Burke's  extraordinary 
flow  of  words,  "all  I  have  to  say  is,  if  that's  the  way 
you  think  about  her,  you  ought  to  speak  to  her." 

"Madam,"  said  Burke,  springing  to  his  feet,  "that 
suits  me.  I  would  have  spoken  to  her  before,  but  I 
had  my  doubts  about  what  you'd  think  of  it.  But 
now  that  I  see  you're  willing  to  sign  the  papers,  what 
I  want  to  know  is,  where  will  I  be  likely  to  find  Miss 
Croup?" 

Mrs.  Cliff  laughed.  "You  are  very  prompt,"  said 
she,  "and  I  think  you  will  find  Willy  in  the  little 
parlor.  She  was  sewing  there  when  I  saw  her  last." 

In  less  than  a  minute  Mr.  Burke  stood  before  Willy 
Croup  in  the  little  parlor.  "Miss  Croup,"  said  he,  "I 
want  to  ask  you  something." 

"What  is  it?  "  said  Willy,  letting  her  work  drop  in 
her  lap. 

"Miss  Croup,"  said  he,  "I  heard  you  swear  once,  and 
I  never  heard  anybody  swear  better  and  with  more 
conscience.  You  did  that  swearing  for  me,  and  now  I 

317 


MRS.   CLIFFS   YACHT 

want  to  ask  yon  if  you  will  be  willing  to  swear  for  me 
again  ?  " 

"No,",  said  Willy,  her  cheeks  flushing  as  she  spoke, 
"no,  I  won't !  It  was  all  very  well  for  you  to  tell  me 
that  I  didn't  do  anything  wrong  when  I  talked  in  that 
dreadful  way  to  Mr.  Maxwell,  and  for  you  to  get  the 
ministers  to  tell  me  that,  as  I  didn't  understand  what 
I  was  saying,  of  course  there  was  no  sin  in  it,  but 
although  I  don't  feel  as  badly  about  it  as  I  did,  I  some 
times  wake  up  in  the  night  and  fairly  shiver  when  I 
think  of  the  words  I  used  that  day.  And  I've  made 
up  my  mind,  no  matter  whether  ships  are  to  be  sunk 
or  what  is  to  happen,  I  will  never  do  that  thing 
again,  and  I  don't  want  you  ever  to  expect  it  of  me." 

"But,  William  Croup,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Burke,  for 
getting  in  his  excitement  that  the  full  form  of  her 
Christian  name  was  not  likely  to  be  masculine,  "that 
isn't  the  way  I  want  you  to  swear  this  time.  What  I 
want  you  to  do  is  to  stand  up  alongside  of  me  in  front 
of  a  minister  and  swear  you'll  take  me  for  your  loving 
husband,  to  love,  honor,  and  protect,  and  all  the  rest 
of  it,  till  death  do  us  part.  Now,  what  do  you  say  to 
that?" 

Willy  sat  and  looked  at  him.  The  flush  went  out 
of  her  cheeks,  and  then  came  again,  but  it  was  a 
different  kind  of  a  flush  this  time,  and  the  brightness 
went  out  of  her  eyes,  and  another  light,  a  softer  and  a 
different  light,  came  into  them.  "Oh !  is  that  what 
you  want?"  she  said  presently.  "I  wouldn't  mind 
that." 


318 


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Novels  and  18 99 

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